MYSURU: Tension prevailed for some time at the Keragodu gram panchayat office on Tuesday when panchayat members pulled up the officials there for not showing the proceedings book (register).
They took panchayat secretary Rathnamma to task when she stated that the executive officer might have taken the register.
The members said that a petition to hoist the Hanuman flag at Keragodu village was submitted on November 27. The panchayat approved it as 18 of the 20 members gave their nod to hoist the flag to mark the inauguration of Ram temple in Ayodhya.
Meanwhile, Bengaluru Bar Association president Vivek Subba Reddy, who arrived at the panchayat office, was apprised of the matter. However, he cleared the confusion by speaking to executive officer Veena, who told him that the register is in her possession. She stated that she could keep the register as per the provisions of the Panchayat Raj Act. Reddy advised the panchayat members and villagers to get the flag issue settled amicably through dialogues.
In a social media war, the BJP accused CM Siddaramaiah of being a “fake news creator”. In his post on Monday, Siddaramaiah claimed that the people of Keragodu had only sought permission to hoist the tricolour. This led to the controversy and widespread protests.
The BJP responded to the post alleging that Siddaramaiah has a history of spreading falsehood with the misguided belief that constant lying would eventually be accepted as truth.
Siddaramaiah’s post, according to the BJP, is false and misleading. They stated that the panchayat development officer of Keragodu gave approval for hoisting the Hanuman flag and not the tricolour. The BJP questioned the reason for the PDO’s suspension following the incident, insinuating that it might be linked to the permission granted to hoist the flag.
The BJP compared the Congress rule to Tughlaq’s. It alleged that the Congress government is attempting to conceal the facts related to the incident and accused it of conspiring against the Hindus in Mandya. “The Congress government gets agitated at the very sight of saffron flags,” the BJP said.
Meanwhile, prohibitory orders continue to be in force at Keragodu. Security has been beefed up in the village. Cops have barricaded the flag pole to prevent any untoward incident. DC Kumar and Mandya SP Yathish visited the village.