Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly Jagadish Shettar and former BJP State president Pralhad Joshi have described the bandh call on February 4, the day Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit Bengaluru, as a “Congress-sponsored” one.
Addressing a joint press conference here on Monday, along with former Ministers Basavaraj Bommai and C.C. Patil, they alleged that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah was behind the bandh call over the Mahadayi water-sharing issue.
Mr. Shettar said that already, various organisations have called for a bandh on January 25 over the issue. “Now another call for Bengaluru bandh has been made. It is the day Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit Bengaluru for taking part in the valedictory function of the BJP’s Parivarthana rally. It is a deliberate attempt by Mr. Siddaramaiah to prevent people from coming to the rally,” he said.
He accused Mr. Siddaramaiah of “instigating and supporting” activists giving the bandh call. He added that if the CM did not stop such actions, the BJP would stage similar protests during visits by All India Congress Committee president Rahul Gandhi.
Mr. Shettar and Mr. Joshi said that BJP members would stage protests during the visit of Mr. Rahul Gandhi to the State in the coming days.
‘Clarify stand’
Mr. Shettar also urged Mr. Gandhi to clarify his party’s stand on the issue. “Mr. Siddaramaiah and the Congress don’t want to find a resolution to the long-pending Mahadayi row. After Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar wrote a letter in response to B.S. Yeddyurappa’s letter, Mr. Siddaramaiah should have acted like a statesman if he really wanted to find a solution. Instead, he is just playing politics,” he said.
Mr. Shettar sought to know the reasons for convening an all-party meeting on the Mahadayi issue in Bengaluru on January 27, when Mr. Siddramaiah was yet to act as per the decision taken at the last all-party meeting.
“It was resolved at the last all-party meeting that the Congress and BJP leaders in Karnataka would speak and convince their counterparts in Goa on the issue. Mr. Siddramaiah should explain what he has done in this regard,” Mr. Shettar said.
He added that BJP leaders would participate in the all-party meeting to make their stand clear. He also claimed that the legal team of Karnataka had failed in presenting its argument properly before the Mahadayi Water Disputes Tribunal.
