BENGALURU: The Opposition BJP blamed Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar for the stampede during the Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s (RCB’s) IPL victory celebrations in Bengaluru on June 4 and demanded their resignation.
The Karnataka BJP leaders on Tuesday staged a protest at Freedom Park in Bengaluru demanding Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar’s resignation.
Karnataka BJP president BY Vijayendra said that 11 people died due to the State Government’s failure as the victory celebrations were held ignoring the concerns expressed by the police. Vijayendra said that the police officers had told CM Siddaramaiah that it was difficult to make security arrangements at such short notice, but the government decided to have the victory celebrations just a day after the IPL finals in Ahmedabad.
The competition between the CM and the DyCM to organise the victory celebrations at Vidhana Soudha and M Chinnaswamy Stadium to boost their image led to the stampede that claimed 11 lives, he said. “The State Government is directly responsible for these deaths. The BJP will continue its fight till CM and DyCM resign,” Vijayendra said.
Leader of Opposition in Assembly R Ashoka said that the fact that the High Court has taken up a suo motu case in the stampede incident shows that no one has faith in the State Government. If the State Government had not erred in the stampede case, it should have conducted a proper investigation, he said.
Ashoka said that the State Government had invited people to be part of the celebrations and if they had not issued such an invitation, the tragedy would have been averted.
Chief Whip of the Opposition in Council N Ravi Kumar said that the State Government has sought to shift the blame on police officers to insulate itself from the blame for the tragedy. “First, Siddaramaiah said that the State Government had not organised the event at the grand steps of Vidhana Soudha. When a clarification came from Raj Bhavan that there was indeed a call from the CM to the Governor to take part in the event, Siddaramaiah made a U-turn and said he had indeed invited the Governor. It is clear that the State Government is trying to wriggle out of the crisis somehow or the other by blaming the police as well as the RCB and KSCA,” Ravi Kumar said.
BJP leaders called the party workers to lay siege to the CM’s residence. The BJP leaders were detained by the police.
