BENGALURU: The Legislative Council on Thursday witnessed acrimonious scenes over the action of the Bengaluru City Police against Congress workers, who are allegedly involved in the “Paycm” poster campaign targeting Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and the BJP Government in the state.Congress MLCs protested against the arrest of their party workers for pasting the posters and demanded their immediate release.
They also questioned the police for taking action only against Congress workers, when the BJP members too had put up social media posts with former CM Siddaramaiah and KPCC president DK Shivakumar’s photographs.
Law Minister JC Madhuswamy hit out at the Opposition MLCs for trying to protect those involved in such a campaign against the CM. “How can we tolerate such acts? We have to act against them and the government will take action if there is a complaint about Congress leaders’ posters too,” the minister said, adding, “As it is, people do not respect politicians and we have been projected as villains.” He requested the Congress not to protect those involved in the campaign against the CM.
Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said they are ready for any debate on corruption, and the Congress members should allow the Question Hour to continue.However, as the government justified the police action, Opposition members rushed to the well of the house holding placards and raised slogans. The ruling BJP members too resorted to raising slogans against the Congress, while holding placards.
For several minutes, the House was not in order, even as the Pro-tem Chairman tried to conduct the proceedings. The Bills that were earlier passed in the Assembly, were done so in the council amid the din. Angered by the Pro-tem Chairman’s decision to pass the Bills in this way, some opposition members including Congress Chief Whip Prakash Rathod stood on their chairs, while a few others rushed towards the Pro-tem Chairman’s chair. Members from the ruling and Opposition parties continued sloganeering, even after the council was adjourned.
After the House was reconvened, Opposition leader BK Hariprasad said the government should take criticism in the right spirit, instead of resorting to police action. “Two members of our party’s social media team have been arrested. The police went to their houses at midnight and terrorised their families. But the police did not even question former minister KS Eshwarappa in the contractor’s suicide case. Former minister BT Lalitha Nayak has received death threats nine times and the police could not trace the accused,” he charged.
Madhuswamy said the arrests were made as a case was registered, to which Hariprasad quipped that the police were refusing to even take their complaint. As Madhuswamy requested Opposition members to cooperate since just a day was left for the session to end, the latter obliged.