BENGALURU: State BJP president BY Vijayendra has written an open letter, holding Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his government responsible for the stampede outside M Chinnaswamy Stadium that claimed the lives of 11 people on June 4.
Vijayendra’s letter accuses the “administration of chasing political glory while sacrificing public safety”. “Your decisions and lust for political gain have left families shattered and dreams buried,” Vijayendra said, adding that thousands of fans sustained injuries in the melee that day. He called it the darkest chapter in Karnataka’s history. He said Siddaramaiah is trying to wash his hands of the tragedy, which is cowardly. The government’s statements regarding the stampede expose a complete lack of empathy to the very people the CM swears to protect, he criticised.
Vijayendra ridiculed the government’s excuse that the accident happened inside the stadium and it cannot be blamed for the stampede. Vijayendra said that five police officers — including the Bengaluru police commissioner — were made scapegoats by the government in its bid to calm public fury, while the real culprits in the corridors of power remain untouched, he said.
He said the government does not even have the decency to express remorse. Instead, it apparently believes that a cash compensation could erase the pain of those who lost their loved ones, he said.