Pandemonium reigned supreme in the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) council meeting on Friday.
The Mayor was prevented from exiting the council hall and the Opposition Leader, who suddenly took ill, had to be rushed to a private hospital in an ambulance. In the melee, a woman councillor also sustained some minor injuries. Four councillors – Opposition Leader Padmanabh Reddy, Umesh Shetty, Mohan Babu and N. Nagaraju - were later suspended by Mayor B.N. Manjunath Reddy.
The drama enfolded soon after the council meeting began with the BJP councillors demanding that the property tax rates be brought down. The BBMP had, on Thursday, announced a proposal to have a cap on the increase in the property tax rates – 20 per cent for residential and 25 per cent for commercial properties.
When the BJP councillors continued with their protest, Mr. Reddy adjourned the meeting for 15 minutes. He later criticised the BJP councillors. When the meeting resumed, the BJP councillors, led by Mr. Padmanabh Reddy continued their protest, forcing Mr. Reddy to adjourn the meeting again.
However, the councillors tried to prevent the Mayor from exiting the meeting hall. Some of them even lay down on the floor, even as others gheraoed him (Mr. Reddy). They also raised slogans against the Congress for “unscientific increase” of property tax.
It was after a good 10 minutes that Ruling Party Leader R.S. Sathyanarayan escorted the Mayor amidst the melee. Mr. Padmanabh Reddy, who suddenly took ill, was rushed to a nearby private hospital in the ambulance stationed at the BBMP headquarters.
Later, senior BJP councillor B.S. Sathyanarayan told reporters that the protest against the “unscientific hike” in property tax rates would continue. He also said that BJP’s state president B.S. Yeddyurappa had already called for a protest against the hike in tax rates on May 3.
