BENGALURU: Congress shed its lethargy and erupted in protest across many districts all over the state after party leader Siddaramaiah was attacked with eggs by BJP protesters in Kodagu on Thursday.
While BJP leaders KG Bopaiah and Renukacharya tried to wriggle out of the situation, saying it was not BJP workers who protested, KPCC president DK Shivakumar slammed them, saying, “The other name for BJP is lies. They don’t have the courage to tell the truth. If you have done it own up.’’
Congress Campaign committee president MB Patil, Council Opposition Leader BK Hariprasad, working presidents — Ramalinga Reddy, Saleem Ahmed and Druvanarayan — and every other Congress leader criticised BJP.
Druvanarayan in Mysuru said, “Home Minister Araga Jnanendra has to resign. Siddaramaiah is a mass leader so he is being targeted. What was the government doing? This is definitely state sponsored.’’
Congress is planning to lay siege to the deputy commissioner’s office in Madikeri on August 26 and hold a massive protest across Kodagu. The district, where both MLAs are from BJP, is a saffron party bastion like Dakshina Kannada.
While Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai condemned the attack, an unconvinced Siddaramaiah alleged that the police were in cahoots with BJP attackers and were indifferent and inactive during the attack. “The police are with the protesters. We will take out a Madikeri Chalo rally against police inaction. The attack was sponsored by BJP and it was an act of cowardice. They have done this when I was there to assess rain-related damage in the district. The government has not provided relief to rain-hit Madikeri,’’ he said. On VD Savarkar, he said, “What freedom fighter is he ... He wrote multiple petitions to the British seeking mercy.’’
In Chamarajanagar, Congress leader Puttaranga Shetty said, “Can’t we also do it to shame BJP leaders who come here?’’ In Koppal, Raghavendra Hitnal said, “We can throw stones at BJP.” In Mysuru, BJP leader Thotadapppa Basavraj, who contested against Siddaramaiah, filed a police complaint against the Congress leader, saying his statement that “Congress workers too know how to throw eggs” was provocative. The police registered the case.