CM Siddaramaiah rejects BJP’s call for CBI probe into Ballari violence
Mysuru (Karnataka) (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Sunday dismissed the BJP’s demand for a CBI inquiry into the Ballari violence that left one person dead, questioning the opposition party’s moral authority to seek such an investigation.
Speaking to reporters here, Siddaramaiah said the BJP had never handed over a single case to the central agency during its own tenure.
He termed the demand for a CBI probe now as "politically motivated" and said it lacked credibility.
“How many cases did they hand over to the CBI when they were in power and we were in the opposition? If they didn’t, then what moral right do they have to make such demands?” the Chief Minister asked.
He added, “During my previous tenure as Chief Minister, I gave many cases to the CBI, including the accusation against the then Home Minister K J George (in a DySP suicide case), the lottery case and the suspicious death of Soujanya in Dharmasthala in Dakshina Kannada district.”
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On the BJP’s decision to stage a statewide agitation, Siddaramaiah said the opposition was free to protest.
“Let them do it. That is left to them as the opposition party. We will give them a reply, which has to be given,” he said.
Tension prevailed in parts of Ballari on January 1 night after supporters of Ballari City Congress MLA Nara Bharath Reddy and Gangavati BJP MLA G Janardhan Reddy allegedly clashed over a banner installation issue. The situation turned violent with alleged stone-pelting and firing of bullets, leaving one person, a Congress worker, dead.
The incident reportedly began after supporters of Bharath Reddy allegedly installed a banner related to the Valmiki statue unveiling in front of Janardhan Reddy’s residence in Ballari
Reacting sharply to the language used by BJP leaders at a public meeting in Ballari, the Chief Minister said it reflected a lack of culture.
“If they had culture, why was Janardhana Reddy made an external from Ballari? Who turned the district into the ‘Republic of Ballari’?” he asked, recalling that the then Lokayukta Santosh Hegde had used the term in his report on illegal mining.
“Wasn’t that due to Janardhana Reddy? This shows they do not believe in democracy but in autocracy. They are rowdies. Do we need to learn any lesson from them?” he said, adding that the Congress believes in democracy and the Constitution.
He also questioned the motive behind organising a public meeting in Ballari. “Other than political gain, what else is the intention?”
Addressing BJP allegations over convening a legislative session from January 22 to 31, Siddaramaiah said it was mandatory for the first session of the year to be a joint session.
He said issues related to the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) were also a key reason for calling the session.
“The objective of MGNREGA is to ensure jobs for people in rural areas,” he said, adding that landmark rights such as the Right to Work, Right to Information, Right to Education and the Right to Food were introduced by the Congress-led UPA government under then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
“The BJP wants to destroy it. That is why we are convening a session to denounce attempts to repeal MGNREGA by introducing VB-G RAM G,” he said.
On the arrest of an Excise Deputy Commissioner allegedly caught accepting a Rs 20 lakh bribe, the CM said his government would not shield anyone involved in corruption.
When reporters pointed to the Excise Minister’s name being mentioned in a purported video, Siddaramaiah said he was not aware of it.
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BJP has history of ‘contradictory alliances’, says BK Hariprasad
Bengaluru: Congress MLC B. K. Hariprasad has launched a sharp attack on the BJP, accusing the party of hypocrisy over its criticism of alliance politics in Tamil Nadu.
In a post on X on Friday, Hariprasad said BJP leader B. L. Santhosh criticising the Congress party’s alliance politics in Tamil Nadu was “not just laughable, but the height of political contradiction.”
He said the Congress has always joined hands with like-minded parties to protect secular and democratic values in the country.
Hariprasad questioned the BJP over several of its past and present alliances across the country. Referring to Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Tripura, Bihar and Maharashtra, he accused the BJP of sharing power with parties it had earlier criticised.
He alleged that the BJP had aligned with separatist and corruption-linked political forces in different states for political gains.
“The BJP, which speaks against alliances today, should first look at its own political history,” he said, adding that the party’s record was full of “contradictions and changing stands.”
Hariprasad also accused the BJP of using central agencies such as the Enforcement Directorate, Income Tax Department and CBI as political tools to target opposition leaders, topple governments and influence electoral mandates.
He further claimed that the people of Tamil Nadu had strongly rejected the BJP and its ideology in the recent election.
“Congress forms alliances to protect the Constitution, secularism and national unity, while the BJP enters into alliances only for power,” he said.
