Claiming that Belthangady taluk president of BJP Yuva Morcha Shashiraj Shetty, who has been arrested, was not involved in illegal quarrying, the BJP alleged here on Friday, May 24, that its worker has selectively been targetted by the government.
Addressing presspersons, the president of the Dakshina Kannada unit of the party Satish Kumpala alleged that the Congress government has continued its atrocity against the BJP workers. “Why the police and the district administration officials are not raiding other illegal quarrying and sand extraction units? Are there not other such units in the district?” Mr. Kumpala asked.
He said that Mangaluru police filed a case against D. Vedavyasa Kamath, Mangaluru City South MLA, and Y. Bharat Shetty, Mangaluru City North MLA, in connection with a school matter some time ago. Now they have filed two cases against the party’s Harish Poonja, Belthangady MLA. “The Congress government is targetting not only the party workers but the party MLAs,” he alleged adding that the government’s focus is not on taking up development projects.
Defending the conduct of Mr. Poonja at the Belthangady police station on May 18 night, Mr. Kumpala said that the MLA went there in the interest of party workers and the interest of the party. The workers gathered at the house of Mr. Poonja on May 22 to protect the MLA from getting arrested. “If the intention of police is only to serve the notice and ask the MLA to appear for the inquiry why did they were in the house of Mr. Poonja from morning to evening?” he asked.
Mr. Kumpala said that the BJP never supported illegal quarrying or illegal sand extraction.
He said that the party MLAs will raise the matter related to the government targetting its MLAs in the coming Legislative Assembly session.
