Condemning the attack on a Ganesha idol procession in Nagamangala on Wednesday night and the subsequent violence, the Opposition BJP has described it as a “direct fallout of the Congress government’s appeasement politics”.
Alleging that the “dangerous game of appeasement politics” has emboldened “anti-national elements”, the BJP demanded a high-level probe by an agency like the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
A team of BJP leaders comprising party State president B.Y. Vijayendra, Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly R. Ashok, and legislators C.N. Ashwath Narayan, C.T. Ravi, and Sunil Kumar, among others, rushed to the spot, visited the violence-hit areas and spoke to victims in a bid to instil confidence among them.
Speaking to media persons at Nagamangala, Mr. Vijayendra described the attack on the procession as a planned one. Though miscreants used swords and petrol bombs to attack the procession and later set some properties on fire, the police remained mute spectators due to pressure from the government, he alleged.
“The Mandya district, which used to be known for farmers’ struggle, has unfortunately caught the national attention now for communal issues,” he alleged and demanded compensation towards the loss of properties.
Mr. Ashok said: “After Pakistan zindabad slogans raised in the Vidhan Soudha corridors and a bomb blast at The Rameshwaram Cafe, this is yet another glaring example of how the Congress government has let anti-national elements capture the State, leading to complete collapse of law and order.”
Meanwhile, taking exception to Home Minister G. Parameshwara’s statement that the episode was a “minor accident”, the BJP accused him of trying to protect those involved in what it called a “cold-blooded attack”.
Meanwhile, Union Minister of State for MSME Shobha Karandlaje demanded an NIA probe into the attack by maintaining that only a national agency could bring out the truth.
Published - September 12, 2024 09:45 pm IST
