Mysore/Mysuru: Criticising the ‘dictatorial attitude’ of the Siddharamaiah-led State Government, City and Rural BJP units staged a protest in city yesterday.

The BJP activists, who assembled in front Zilla Panchayat Office alleged that Assembly Speaker U.T. Khader had suspended 10 BJP MLAs from the Assembly without giving them an opportunity to discuss people’s issues. By also suspending some JD(S) MLAs, the Speaker has displayed ‘dictatorial attitude.’

“After assuming Office as the Speaker, he cannot participate in any of the party activities. But Speaker U.T. Khader recently visited a meeting of an alliance of various political party leaders including Congress, met Congress party supremo Sonia Gandhi and had lunch at the conclave of political parties which is deplorable,” the angry protestors said and added that the State Government had violated rules by deputing more than 30 IAS Officers of the State to provide hospitality to politicians who attended the conclave and sought Governor’s intervention to take a call on this issue.

The protestors charged that the Government had stopped depositing Rs. 4,000 to the accounts of farmers under Kisan Samman Nidhi and by cutting financial grants to irrigation projects, the State Government is following anti-farmer policies. They also complained that scholarships that were given to the children of weavers, taxi, cab and auto drivers, fishermen and others have been stopped. 

Speaking to media persons,  MLA  T.S. Srivatsa said that BJP is staging protests at all district centres of the State against the attitude of the State Government. “The Government didn’t give reply to our question as to why IAS Officers were deputed to provide hospitality to persons who doesn’t come under protocol. There is a protocol to provide hospitality to Chief Ministers and Ministers. But the State Government had deputed IAS Officers to provide hospitality to Lalu Prasad Yadav and D. Raja who are out on bail,” said Srivatsa said.

Criticising Speaker U.T. Khader for his decision to suspend 10 BJP MLAs, Srivatsa pointed out that earlier Zameer Ahmed threw a mike and Siddharamaiah had kicked the door of Assembly. But the BJP didn’t suspend them.

Former Ministers, MLAs and MLCs, Mayor Shivakumar, Deputy Mayor Dr. D. Roopa, BJP leader B.P. Manjunath, District BJP President Mangala Somashekar and others participated.