BJP workers’ bid to mob CM at ZP thwarted

• Former Union Minister Bhagwanth Khuba demands resignation of CM Siddaramaiah
• Police take hundreds of BJP leaders, workers to preventive custody

Mysuru: High drama was witnessed near the Zilla Panchayat (ZP) office on Krishnaraja Boulevard here this morning, with both BJP city and district units making a vain bid to lay siege to ZP Office, in protest against Chief Minister Siddaramaiah demanding his resignation following the Special Court’s order to investigate his role in the alleged irregularities in Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) site allotment, here this morning.

Hundreds of BJP workers led by BJP City President L. Nagendra and District President L.R. Mahadevaswamy went in a rally towards Mysuru ZP to lay a siege, ahead of CM Siddaramaiah’s district progress review meeting scheduled in the day.  However, they were stopped enroute by the Police who had installed barricades apart from deploying a large contingent of Police to restrict the protesters from entering the ZP premises.

Irked BJP workers intensified their protest and tried to break through the security cordon following which they were taken into preventive custody by the Police.

Earlier, addressing the protesters in front of BJP City Office at Chamarajapuram, former Union Minister Bhagawanth Khuba criticised CM Siddaramaiah for not stepping down despite Governor’s sanction against him and orders from both High Court and Special Court for Elected Representatives highlighting the need for an investigation into the alleged MUDA illegal site allotment case.

He also said that the BJP would continue to hold Statewide protests till Siddaramaiah tendered his resignation.

Meanwhile, as an additional security measure, the City Police had deployed two KSRP platoons apart from regular Police personnel near the BJP Headquarters, which is located a few metres away from ZP office. This apart, Police had also barricaded the surrounding roads leading to BJP office on Krishnaraja Boulevard,  Vani Vilas Road, Jayalakshmi Vilas Road and others restricting the access to the ZP office.

Following the BJP’s protest, the members of Karnataka Rajya Hindulida Vargagala Jagrutha Vedike led by K.S. Shivaram staged a counter demonstration near the Mysuru ZP office in support of CM Siddaramaiah.

The Vedike members shouted slogans against the BJP and JD(S) alliance, stating that there was no reason for the Chief Minister to resign.