Mysore/Mysuru: Strongly condemning the alleged poor portrayal of Opposition Leader in Legislative Assembly Siddharamaiah and KPCC President D.K. Shivakumar in ‘Sambashiva Prahasana’ play enacted at Rangayana in the city recently, thousands of Congress workers, members of Karnataka Pradesha Kurubara Sangha and activists of a host of other organisations under the joint banner of ‘Swabhimaani Horata Samiti’ staged a massive demonstration in the city this morning to vent their ire against the BJP Government.

The protesters who gathered at the Oval Grounds, staged a demonstration and raised slogans against BJP, RSS and Rangayana Director Addanda C. Cariappa, for sometime, before taking out a rally from Kautilya Circle (Crawford Hall Circle). The rally passed through Krishnaraja (KR) Boulevard and the road that connects Kautilya Circle with Hunsur Road, before it was halted by the Police at the Arch gate (near DC’s office) at Hunsur Road-Crawford Hall junction, where the Police had fully barricaded the area. The Police had suspended vehicular movement on all the roads leading to Kautilya Circle, for some time as a security measure at that time.

Earlier, addressing the protesters at Oval Grounds, KPCC Working President R. Dhruvanarayan, who is also a former Chamarajanagar MP, said that the Rangayana has made its own contributions for making Mysuru proud. Pointing out that the repertory was established by the Government for promotion of theatre and arts, Dhruvanarayan said, ‘Rangayana is now coming to be known as ‘Rampaayana’ (meaning chaos), after Addanda C. Cariappa took over as its Director.’ Pointing out that the current Rajya Sabha MP Dr. Veerendra Heggade too has lauded Siddharamaiah’s ‘Bhagyas’ (Anna Bhagya, Ksheera Bhagya etc.), Dhruvanarayan said that ‘the Congress will come out with a book highlighting the achievements and programmes of the Siddharamaiah-led Congress Government.’

He further said that the plans to lay siege to Rangayana was dropped due to respect of the Law, with the City Police enforcing prohibitory orders around Rangayana in view of the massive demonstration.

Congress Spokesperson M. Lakshmana, senior theatre artiste Krishna Prasad and a host of other leaders representing various organisations, too addressed the gathering and lashed out against the BJP Government for pushing its communal and casteist agenda through distortion of ‘Sambashiva Prahasana’ play and brining out books such as ‘Tipu Nija Kanasugalu’, ‘Siddhu Nija Kanasugalu’ which are a bundle of lies and tampered history          and facts.

MLC Dr. D. Thimmaiah, Congress leaders K. Harish Gowda, K. Marigowda and Shivanna, Karnataka Pradesha Kurubara Sangha President B. Subramanya, K.S. Shivaramu and others were present.

Prohibitory orders clamped around Rangayana

In view of the Swabhimaani Horata Samiti’s plans to besiege Rangayana, the City Police, as a precautionary measure, had clamped ban orders in 200 mts radius around Rangayana and Kalamandira on Hunsur Road from 6 am to 6 pm today. According to the ban orders promulgated under section 144 of Cr.PC, all types of protests, demonstrations etc., on the stretch of the roads from Kautilya Circle to Padma Circle (towards Rangayana), DC Office – gate towards Rangayana, VMD junction – Padma Circle (towards Rangayana) and Valmiki Circle – Rangayana were prohibited. 

Due to the demonstration, the motorists were inconvenienced a lot as the Police had blocked all roads in the vicinity of Rangayana by erecting barricades.