'Unlike BJP or Left': On Siddaramaiah's 'Maha Kumbh' defence, Rahul Gandhi asks Karnataka government to take responsibility for Bengaluru stampede
Fans gather in large numbers during RCB's felicitation ceremony after they win the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, in front of Vidhana Soudha, in Bengaluru, Karnataka. (PTI)
NEW DELHI: Congress leader
Rahul Gandhi
and party president Mallikarjun Kharge have expressed strong displeasure over the Karnataka government's association with the IPL victory celebrations of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), during which 11 people were killed in a stampede outside the Chinnaswamy Stadium on June 4, news agency PTI reported on Tuesday, June 10.
At a meeting held at the party's new headquarters in New Delhi on Tuesday, Kharge and Rahul pulled up chief minister
Siddaramaiah
and deputy CM DK Shivakumar, saying the government should have been more sensitive. Rahul Gandhi reportedly told the two leaders that "human lives are of great value" to the Congress and that the administration must be responsive, unlike the BJP in Uttar Pradesh or the Left government in Kerala.
Rahul Gandhi told the chief minister and PCC president that human lives are of great value to the
Congress party
and the government has to be responsive towards people, "unlike the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh or the Left government in Kerala where no responsibility was taken for the loss of lives during the Kumbh and Sabarimala tragedy respectively," a source was quoted as saying by the news agency PTI.
The Congress leadership also reminded the state government to maintain a clear pro-people approach and avoid lapses that could tarnish its image, the PTI report said.
Meanwhile, after meeting with Congress leadership, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah said that the Kumbh Mela incident should be discussed before Bengaluru stampede. "We discussed the recent tragic incident and explained the measures we have taken. A magisterial inquiry is underway, and a judicial commission has been appointed, led by retired Justice Michael Cunha.
Five police officers have been suspended, intelligence officers have been transferred, and the political secretary has been relieved.
We explained these actions, and there is a consensus that the measures taken are appropriate. The Kumbh Mela incident should be discussed first before addressing this issue. I am not using the Kumbh Mela deaths to defend this incident. When people die, it is human to feel sorrow. This incident should not be politicised."
The Congress government in Karnataka has faced sharp criticism from the opposition BJP and JD(S), with both parties holding the chief minister and his deputy directly responsible for the tragedy and demanding their resignation. They have also sought a special Assembly session to discuss the incident.
The stampede occurred on June 4 near the Chinnaswamy stadium in Bengaluru, where a large number of people had gathered to participate in the RCB team's IPL victory celebrations. The stampede led to 11 deaths and injured 56.
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