‘Ask PM Modi to resign first': Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah hits out at BJP amid Bengaluru stampede protest
Amid state-wide protests by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) demanding his resignation over the tragic stampede outside Bengaluru's Chinnaswamy Stadium, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday mounted a sharp counterattack, accusing the saffron party of politicizing deaths while ignoring accountability during its own rule.
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'The Chinnaswamy incident was unfortunate, and as a responsible government, we have taken full accountability,' Siddaramaiah said in a statement, referring to the stampede that led to the deaths of several individuals during a ticket distribution event. 'Top police officers have been suspended, the state intelligence chief has been transferred, and my Political Secretary has been relieved of duties.'
The Chief Minister also announced the formation of a one-man commission led by retired High Court judge John Michael Cunha to conduct a comprehensive probe into the tragedy.
However, Siddaramaiah criticised the BJP's ongoing protests, alleging that the party was more interested in gaining political mileage than standing with the victims. 'For BJP, politicizing death is nothing new. Be it accident, murder or assault, their first response is to blame others. The people of Karnataka see through this drama,' he said.
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Drawing parallels with previous national tragedies, Siddaramaiah questioned the BJP's silence on major incidents that occurred under its rule. 'In 2002, around 2,000 innocents were killed during the Gujarat riots. Even Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee asked Narendra Modi to resign, but he refused and didn't even express regret,' he said.
He went on to cite the killing of 26 Indians in a terror attack in Poonch, the prolonged violence in Manipur, and the Morbi bridge collapse in Gujarat that killed 140 people, alleging that BJP leaders neither resigned nor initiated credible probes in those cases.
'In Manipur, the Chief Minister clung to power for 20 months as the state burned. In Gujarat's Morbi, 140 died when a bridge collapsed. In January, 30 pilgrims were killed at Mahakumbh. Where was BJP's outrage then?' Siddaramaiah asked.
Taking a swipe at BJP's leadership, the CM said, 'Did we ask PM Modi to resign after the Poonch terror killings? No. We demanded a special Parliament session, which was also denied. Till now, not a single perpetrator has been identified. Who should resign for that failure — Pandit Nehru? Rahul Gandhi?'
Reiterating his government's commitment, Siddaramaiah said, 'Our government is accountable to 7 crore Kannadigas. We have already acted against those found prima facie negligent in the stampede. The judicial commission's report will guide us further, and we won't hesitate to take tough action.'
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