CM Siddaramaiah lashes at BJP leaders over protest against arrest of Hindu activist
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday lashed out at the BJP over its protest against the arrest of a Hindu activist in Hubballi in connection with a 31-year-old case related to Ram temple agitation, saying leaders of the opposition party need to understand that assigning caste and religious labels to criminals is extremely dangerous.
He recalled that even when the BJP government was in power in the state, the Lokayukta police had arrested the then Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa and sent him to jail.
"Is that Hubballi criminal suspect any greater Hindu or devotee of Rama than Yediyurappa? So, was the government at that time anti-Hindu? Not even the leaders of the BJP's parent organisation called the government that arrested Hindu Yediyurappa anti-Hindu, did they? Why this outcry now?", Siddaramaiah said.
"The Congress government is becoming more popular day by day. Out of desperation, BJP leaders are rallying around a criminal suspect", the Chief Minister said.
Siddaramaiah said it should not have come to a point where a national party has to defend a criminal suspect.
"If any BJP leaders have a little wisdom, they should please read out the list of charges against this person from Hubballi and then decide whether to fight for him. Since Hindus are the majority in the population, they are also the majority in prisons. Does that mean BJP should fight for all of them because they belong to the Hindu religion?", he asked.
The increase in criminal activities in the state is due to the BJP's illegal actions and their tendency to colour crime and criminals with caste and religion, the Chief Minister alleged.
"Even if a person commits heinous crimes, if he wraps a saffron shawl around his head and shouts that he is a Hindu, BJP leaders rush to his defence. This is not only a disgrace to the saffron shawl but also to Hinduism itself. It's a betrayal of religion. Let the law take its course", Siddaramaiah said.
He appealed to the BJP leaders in the State to stop playing petty politics in the name of God and religion, and try to act as a responsible opposition.
The Congress government in the State last week reopened the case against the Hindu activist Srikanth Poojari. a 'kar sevak' (volunteer) who was allegedly involved in a case of rioting during the Ram temple agitation in 1992, in Hubballi.
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Another North Goa nightclub sealed; Kejriwal says corruption led to fire tragedy
Panaji (PTI): As part of a crackdown against tourist establishments violating laws and safety norms in the aftermath of the Arpora fire tragedy, Goa authorities on Saturday sealed a renowned club at Vagator and revoked the fire department NOC of another club.
Cafe CO2 Goa, located on a cliff overlooking the Arabian Sea at Vagator beach in North Goa, was sealed. The move came two days after Goya Club, also in Vagator, was shut down for alleged violations of rules.
Elsewhere, campaigning for local body polls, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said the fire incident at Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub at Arpora, which claimed 25 lives on December 6, happened because the BJP government in the state was corrupt.
An inspection of Cafe CO2 Goa by a state government-appointed team revealed that the establishment, with a seating capacity of 250, did not possess a no-objection certificate (NOC) of the Fire and Emergency Services Department. The club, which sits atop Ozrant Cliff, also did not have structural stability, the team found.
The Fire and Emergency Services on Saturday also revoked the NOC issued to Diaz Pool Club and Bar at Anjuna as the fire extinguishers installed in the establishment were found to be inadequate, said divisional fire officer Shripad Gawas.
A notice was issued to Nitin Wadhwa, the partner of the club, he said in the order.
Campaigning at Chimbel village near Panaji in support of his party's Zilla Panchayat election candidate, Aam Aadmi Party leader Kejriwal said the nightclub fire at Arpora happened because of the "corruption of the Pramod Sawant-led state government."
"Why this fire incident happened? I read in the newspapers that the nightclub had no occupancy certificate, no building licence, no excise licence, no construction licence or trade licence. The entire club was illegal but still it was going on," he said.
"How could it go on? Couldn't Pramod Sawant or anyone else see it? I was told that hafta (bribe) was being paid," the former Delhi chief minister said.
A person can not work without bribing officials in the coastal state, Kejriwal said, alleging that officers, MLAs and even ministers are accepting bribes.
