Leader of the Opposition Siddaramaiah has said the Congress will not tolerate harassment of party workers by the police. “If the police does not stop registering false cases against the Congress, our workers will picket police stations across the State”, he said at a public rally in Shivamogga on Saturday.
The rally was organised by the Congress to condemn the police action against Bhadravati MLA B.K. Sangameshwara and other Congress workers in connection with a clash that broke out following a kabaddi tourney on February 28.
During his five-year rule, Mr. Siddaramaiah said, he never used the police to book cases against political rivals. “The police get a salary from the government, not from either Yediyurappa or Eshwarappa. If all Congress workers hit the streets, no police can control them”, he said and also warned the police saying, “We will come back to power in two years. Be careful”.
Congress leader D.K.Shivakumar, addressing the rally, said the event was organsed to instil confidence among party workers across the State. “Wherever a Congress worker is harassed, we will go there and protest”, he said. Criticising the State government, he said “the end of the BJP rule” had begun with this rally and it was historic as it had begun in Shivamogga.
Former Minister Kagodu Thimmappa opined the rally was timely and a meaningful event. “Shivamogga is a land of struggles. The Congress has chosen this place to start the agitations against the BJP. Such struggles are required to dislodge the BJP government. The huge response to the event received is an indication that people are against the BJP rule”, he said.
Mr. Sangameshwara, addressing the rally, said false cases were filed against him and his family members. His son was still in judicial custody. “The BJP is trying to divide people for political reasons. None of their tactics will work in Bhadravati”, he said. The MLA also criticised the BJP for ignoring the MPM and VISL industries in Bhadravati.
Protest march
Earlier in the day, Congress workers took out a protest march from the bus stand to Science Field.
Hundreds of party workers from different parts of the district took part in the march called ‘Janakrosha Pratibhatane’ that started near the bus stand.
Along the route, the workers raised slogans criticising BJP, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister B.S.Yediyurappa. When a group of workers raised slogans praising D.K.Shivakumar, the KPCC president intervened and appealed to them not to take names of individuals of the party.
