BJP Provoking Communal Riots In K’taka: CM Siddaramaiah

Mysuru: Accusing the BJP of instigating and provoking communal riots in the state, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday charged that the party was responsible for the unrest.

Speaking to the media at the Mysuru airport on the repeated stone-pelting incidents during the Ganesh Visarjan, CM Siddaramaiah maintained that the question of the media is wrong. “Do you know how many Ganesh idols were installed and immersion processions are being taken out in the state? The questions should not be asked without proper facts and figures,” he slammed.

The Chief Minister stated that there were around 60,000 Ganesh idol installations this year in the Karnataka state. Only two incidents of violence were reported. Stone-pelting took place in Davanagere city, and riots occurred in Nagamangala town. In both incidents, the negligence by the police was evident. The Deputy Superintendent of Police (DYSP) had been suspended in this regard, he added.

When asked about the Lokayukta not investigating the de-notification cases against Union Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy and former CM BS Yeddyurappa since 2021, the Chief Minister responded that yesterday (Thursday), ministers including Dinesh Gundu Rao, Krishna Byre Gowda, and Santosh Lad released documents related to the case.

He said that the land involved in the de-notification case was highly valuable and that Kumaraswamy had de-notified it for his close relatives. Despite officials declaring the process illegal, it was still done. The related information will be collected and reviewed, he added.