BENGALURU: A protest by the BBMP Pourakarmikara Sangha of the All India Central Council of Trade Unions (AICCTU) in front of the Vidhana Soudha on Thursday was disrupted by the police. The protest was staged to demand an apology from Bengaluru Development Minister Krishna Byre Gowda, following his remarks to pourakarmikas demanding job regularisation as opposed to contractual work.
Protesters from the AICCTU had gathered in front of the Vidhana Soudha holding placards, and were reportedly detained within four minutes of the protest. One of the protesters was holding a photocopy of the Constitution’s preamble, which was allegedly torn by the police.
“There hasn’t been a single word of apology from Byre Gowda, who himself has dismal attendance in the assembly proceedings. If he has noticed absenteeism in any specific ward, he should be concerned with that ward itself, instead of delivering a blanket statement,” said activist Vinay Shrinivas, who was one of the detainees. He added that it was preventative detention, and all the detainees were released from the Vidhana Soudha police station after about half an hour.
Shrinivas added that Byre Gowda’s remarks followed a strain of anti-poor stance from the state government, ever since vendors were displaced from footpaths only for cars to occupy those spaces. “Since he became Bengaluru development minister, he has not held any meetings with pourakarmikas to address their concerns,” he said.
“As the minister in-charge of Bengaluru, Byre Gowda has a responsibility towards every section of this city, not just the middle class. Our wages are not paid on time, we are denied ESI and PF, and contractors continue to exploit us with no action taken by the government,” said BBMP Pourakarmikara Sangha president Nirmala M.
