BENGALURU: The Opposition Congress on Tuesday created a ruckus in the Upper House demanding a committee probe into the Mangaluru police firing incident. The chaos forced the House to adjourn for some time. BJP MLC Ravikumar’s remarks, terming those killed in the firing as ‘terrorists’, angered Congress leaders, who rushed to the well of the House and protested. Later, Ravikumar apologised for his statements.
Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai said that the government is capable of answering all questions related to the incident. There is a law in place to specify when the police can open fire to protect government property, he added. Upset by his response, Congress members staged a dharna, and party MLC C M Ibrahim said that what BJP leaders are claiming is far from reality. “If you have the courage, hand over the matter for a judicial probe,’’ he challenged the state government.
Other Opposition leaders demanded that the government announce relief amount to the families of those who died in the incident, threatening to protest if their demand is not met.
Opposition party leader SR Patil alleged that state government is slapping cases against innocent people, be it the Mangaluru incident or the recent Bidar school case. “In the name of patriotism, fake cases have been filed against many, including former minister U T Khader. If you keep focusing on such cases, there will be no development in the state,’’ he said.
In the first half of the session, Ibrahim demanded Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa to issue a white paper on the state’s finances. “We are the third biggest contributor to the Union government. We have not got money under GST or NREGA -- let’s send a delegation from the state to meet the concerned people in Delhi. As Opposition party members, we will support it,’’ he said.
No govt in Mangaluru: Cong MLC
Congress MLC CM Ibrahim accused the BJP of making elections only about Hindus and Muslims. He alleged that in Mangaluru, there is “no BS Yediyurappa government”. “When a large number of people gathered at Kalaburagi or Bengaluru, no such incident happened. Why only in Manglauru? There are some people within the BJP who are planning to finish off Yediyurappa’s political career,” he claimed.