Siddaramaiah, Shivakumar 'intoxicated' by power: Union Minister

Bengaluru, April 28 (IANS) Union Minister for Food, Public Distribution and Consumer Affairs, Pralhad Joshi, on Monday slammed the Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar following the speech disruption incident in Belagavi.

“Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar have crossed the line with their behaviour in Belagavi today. Both of them are intoxicated by power. Siddaramaiah raised his hands against a duty-bound senior police officer. The publicly insulting a police officer and attacking protestors shows an abuse of power, nothing else,” the minister alleged.

He added that Siddaramaiah “raised” his hand on the Additional SP on stage. “Such a gesture shows his arrogance. Shivakumar not only obstructed the BJP workers' protests but also issued threats,” he said.

He said that Congress leaders need to realise that public anger is rising due to their “misrule” and “arrogance”. He warned that people would soon express their discontent through action.

He claimed that their actions are theatrical and against the principles of democracy and constitutional values.

He stressed that every citizen has the right to express their opinions and dissent, which is a fundamental constitutional right, and no one should be allowed to suppress this right.

He also strongly condemned Shivakumar's threats against BJP workers for protesting, calling such behaviour unconstitutional and unacceptable.

He warned that in the coming days, people will teach a lesson to such divisive and threatening politics.

Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council, Chalavadi Narayanaswamy, said, "CM Siddaramaiah, do you not know how the Women’s Morcha workers came to Belagavi? Isn't this a failure of your intelligence? Your surveillance system is inadequate for such small matters."

"The Chief Minister has pounced on the police. If that's the case, how did terrorists manage to enter this country? Don’t you feel ashamed? If the Chief Minister is behaving this way, what protection will you provide to the common people?" he asked.

He further criticised the Chief Minister for questioning the Prime Minister on terrorism and national security. "What is your answer to your intelligence failure?" Narayanaswamy added.

He accused Siddaramaiah of spreading lies about the country and the Jammu-Kashmir issue while attending a party programme in Belagavi.

In protest against Siddaramaiah’s actions, BJP Women's Morcha leaders and workers displayed black flags. "This is part of a democratic system. No one came armed with sticks or guns, nor did anyone wield AK-47s like in Kashmir," he clarified.

He also condemned the behaviour of Congress workers, who reportedly attacked women after they were put into a police van. "This is the behaviour of a goonda government," he said.

In addition, Narayanaswamy alleged that Siddaramaiah had taken an aggressive stance against an Additional SP. "When the Additional SP stepped back, slapping was avoided. They consider the police to be their slaves," he remarked.

Earlier, Siddaramaiah lost his cool and raised his hand in front of party workers against the Additional SP, following the disruption of his speech at the Congress convention in Belagavi by the BJP women workers over his alleged remarks, ‘no need for war with Pakistan’.

--IANS

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