BJP protests in Kalaburagi, demands Kharge’s sacking over Narayanaswamy confinement incident
KALABURAGI: Several state BJP leaders, including its president BY Vijayendra, staged ‘Kalaburagi Chalo’ on Saturday and sat on a dharna in front of deputy commissioner’s office, protesting against what they called an insult to Council opposition leader Chalavadi Narayanaswamy by Congress workers, who confined him to a room at a guesthouse in Chittapur on May 21.
Apart from Vijayendra, Assembly opposition leader R Ashoka, Chalavadi, Chitradurga MP Govind Karjol, former minister B Sriramalu, Council opposition chief whip N Ravikumar and leader CT Ravi were part of the protest.
They demanded that Rural Development and district in-charge minister Priyank Kharge be sacked from the ministry, while Additional SP Mahesh Meghannavar, DSP Shankargowda Patil, Circle Inspector of Police Chandrashekhar Tigadi and other police officers be suspended for allegedly helping Congress workers. They wanted a judicial probe into the incident.
Vijayendra said the district in-charge minister should be ashamed that Kalaburagi is in the last position in SSLC results and in the bottom 5 position in 2nd PU results. Over 18,000 posts of teachers are vacant in Kalyana-Karnataka. The government is not releasing funds for the development of constituencies, he alleged.
Ashoka said Kharge and Congress leaders claim to be protectors of the Constitution. “In which part of the Constitution are they allowed to confine opposition leaders? If Narayanaswamy committed an offence, they could have approached the police station or courts. But they took law into their hands. Police stations have become Congress stations under this government,” he alleged.
Narayanaswamy said on May 21, he went to the guesthouse at Chittapur a little early to take part in the Tiranga Yatra that was to begin at 5 pm. As he was freshening up, someone locked his room from outside. Around 20 Congress workers were outside his room, and soon the numbers went up to 50. There were also over 300 policemen, but they did not help.
“Instead, they asked me to remain inside the room. They were seen talking over their mobile phone all the time. Perhaps, they were in contact with Kharge. If he is investigated, the truth will come out,” he said.
On Kharge’s statement that Narayanaswamy has not been elected even once, while he has become a minister the third time, Narayanaswamy said the Kharge family did not allow anyone else to enjoy power.
“Jewargi MLA Dr Ajay Singh has also become an MLA for the third time like Kharge. Why didn’t he become minister? Why is SM Narayanaswamy, who is also a Dalit and a four-time MLA, not a minister? Why have Prasad Abbayya and Shivanna Anekal, who have also won three times, not become ministers,” he questioned.
Narayanaswamy said he was a Congressman for 40 years, but AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge did not give him a chance to contest elections.