BENGALURU: A routine inauguration by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah of a newly constructed underpass turned into an unpleasant event with Congress and BJP workers fighting it out at the venue.
The underpass, constructed on the intersection of Magadi Road and Siddaiah Puranik Road near KHB Colony, comes under the Govindraja Nagar ward whose corporator Umesh Shetty belongs to BJP.
Before the event began, Congress supporters of Govindraja Nagar MLA Priya Krishna objected to Umesh Shetty being seated on the dais. Immediately, Shetty’s supporters also started shouting and protesting. Police had a tough time controlling the crowd of both the parties.
Shetty was finally escorted to the stage by the police, but Congress and BJP supporters would not stop shouting slogans and whistling. Matters did not improve, when Congress MLC H M Revanna screamed at Shetty to control his supporters.
The shouting and jostling did not stop even after the Chief Minister arrived and when the state anthem was being played. When he started speaking, Minister Krishnappa had to threaten the screaming supporters that they would have to resort to police action, if it did not stop.
Even Siddaramaiah himself warned that he would ask the police to take action. Not even such dire warnings helped matters and the programme was completed under the din.