Congress using Governor’s action to create unrest in Karnataka, says BJP MLA

The Congress is trying to create unrest in the State by using Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot’s grant of sanction to prosecute Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, alleged Mangaluru City MLAs Y. Bharath Shetty and D. Vedavyasa Kamath in Mangaluru on Tuesday.

The Congress is trying to create unrest in the State by using Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot’s grant of sanction to prosecute Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, alleged Mangaluru City MLAs Y. Bharath Shetty and D. Vedavyasa Kamath in Mangaluru on Tuesday.

Talking to reporters, Dr. Shetty said Ivan D’Souza, MLC, during an agitation on Monday called upon the Congress activists to hold a demonstration similar to the one in Bangladesh to oust Mr. Gehlot, which led Congress workers to hurl stones at a city bus and a few other vehicles, and set fire to a tyre. One elderly woman in the city bus was injured.

Mr. D’Souza’s provocative statement was not an isolated one. A few days ago, senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid made reference to a Bangladesh-like agitation to oust Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he said.

“There seems to be a sinister plan of the Congress to use the occasion to create civic unrest in the State. The BJP will not allow this to happen. We will hold a State-wide agitation,” Dr. Shetty said.

Accusing the State police of being silent to acts of the Congress, Dr. Shetty said the Mangaluru city police has so far not registered any case against Mr. D’Souza’s provocative speech.

Among the three arrested in connection with the violence on Monday included nominated councillor to Mangaluru City Corporation Kishore Shetty and Paduperar Gram Panchayat member Noor Ahmed.

The city police have stated they foiled three attempts by Congress activists to set tyres ablaze and they could not prevent activists from setting the fourth tyre ablaze. The police also allowed Congress activists to block movement of vehicles on the busy city road stretch, he said.