Last Updated: March 04, 2023, 16:32 IST
Siddaramaiah attacked Home Minister Amit Shah as well by alleging that BJP had made Karnataka the ATM of the party. (News18)
Speaking at the protest, Opposition leader Siddaramaiah lashed out BJP and Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai by branding BJP as Brasht Janata Party.
Demanding the resignation of Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and immediate arrest of BJP MLA Virupakshappa Congress staged a mega protest in Bengaluru headed by Siddaramaiah and other Congress leaders.
What grabbed the attention of the audience and the media was the congress party worker impersonating BJP MLA Virupakshappa an accused in the corruption case with bundles of cash infront of him.
Speaking at the protest, Opposition leader Siddaramaiah lashed out BJP and Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai by branding BJP as Brasht Janata Party.
Siddaramaiah attacked Home Minister Amit Shah as well by alleging that BJP had made Karnataka the ATM of the party.
Speaking to News 18, Congress MLA Priyank Kharge accused Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and Home Minister Araga Jnanendra of protecting the accused BJP MLA Virupakshappa.
“BJP especially CM and HM is protecting the A1 that is the BJP MLA. why is the MLA absconding if he has not done anything wrong? Lokayukta themselves have trapped, the govt agency itself has trapped him. What does CM has to say about this?” said Priyank Kharge.
Siddaramaiah further took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi accusing him of being responsible for removal of BS Yediyurappa from CM post and replacing him with Bommai to ensure smooth flow of money from the state.
“Narendra Modi removed Yediyurappa from CM post, but Yediyurappa says he himself gave resignation, then why did you cry Yediyurappa? They didn’t want Yediyurappa because he didn’t give them the required money, hence they removed Yediyurappa and replaced him with Bommai who has become a puppet of RSS,” said Siddaramaiah.
Meanwhile Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai hit back at the Opposition leader by stating that Siddaramaiah would’ve ended up in Jail if Lokayukta was in power during his tenure as chief minister of the state.
“They don’t have any other job to do. I would like to ask a question to Siddaramaiah, in Vidhansabha in his ministers officer 2 lakh amount was found, did he resign? If Lokayukta was there then he would’ve been arrested. They weakened the Lokayukta inorder to shut such cases. In this case impartial investigation is taking place and we are doing it in an impartial way, it’s our fight against corruption, we don’t look at parties. If anyone has a moral right it’s us. Congress can’t wash it’s sins of closing 59 cases, so in order to do that they are protesting,” said Bommai.
Former CM BS Yediyurappa also weighed in on the protest that it’s left to the Lokayukta to decide on whom they need to take action against, neither Siddaramaiah, not congress or me have the right to do so.
Meanwhile, protests were being staged in other districts of Karma as well demanding the resignation of Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and arrest of BJP MLA Virupakshappa.
BJP MLA’s son Prashant Mandal was caught red handed by the Lokayukta day before while collecting bribe for issuing a tender to a contractor. Further investigation and search led to unearthing of 8crore from the place where Lokayukta raided regarding the case.
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