Congress, BJP workers carry chairs to reach venues; actual debaters missing in action

Mysore/Mysuru: The purported debate between the Congress and the BJP regarding the contributions made by the respective parties for Mysuru’s development, came a cropper this morning though high drama prevailed at Field Marshal K.M. Cariappa and Dasappa Circles as BJP and Congress workers were stopped by the Police from marching to each other’s Offices.

Though the development debate centred around former Chief Minister Siddharamaiah and Mysuru-Kodagu MP Pratap Simha, they were missing in action leaving the task to party workers who resorted to protests and shouting slogans.

In the end, the Police intervened and bundled them into Police vans and ensured order on the roads.

KPCC Spokesperson M. Lakshmana had challenged BJP MP Pratap Simha for a debate on the contributions made by the Congress and BJP for Mysuru’s development and said that he would come to the debate at the MP’s Office on Jaladarshini Guest House campus at 12 noon today (June 29) carrying two chairs and a table along with him.

Accordingly, he was ready to head to the MP’s Office with two chairs and a table, mounted on a goods auto. He himself sat along with the table.

Countering Lakshmana’s challenge, several activists of BJP Yuva Morcha, led by office-bearers Kiran Gowda and Devaraj, converged at Field Marshal K.M. Cariappa Circle on JLB Road at about 10 am to take out a march to the Congress Bhavan near the City Railway Station to hold the debate there, instead of the BJP MP’s Office. They too carried two plastic chairs.

After garlanding the statue of the Field Marshal, the Yuva Morcha activists started to march to the Congress Office when they were stopped by the Police, who had erected barricades around the Circle.

The attempts of over 40 activists to march to the Congress Office by removing the barricades were foiled by the Police, who took them into preventive custody.

Meanwhile, Lakshmana too was prepared to take out a rally from Congress Bhavan to MP Pratap Simha’s Office at around 11 am.

Lakshmana, supported by MLC Dr. D. Thimmaiah and other Congress leaders tried to take out a procession to the MP’s Office when they were stopped at Dasappa Circle by the Police, who had erected barricades there too.

Soon, Lakshmana entered into a verbal argument with the Police. Questioning why such a large posse of Policemen was deployed at the spot, Lakshmana staged a flash protest at Dasappa Circle, raising slogans against the MP and the BJP.

Wanting to know why the MP was hesitant to take part in the debate, with the MP himself challenging former CM Siddharamaiah and senior Congress leader Dr. H.C. Mahadevappa, Lakshmana reiterated that the Congress was ready to take part in the debate at any venue. But the MP and his party were reluctant, he alleged and demanded the Police to allow him to go to the MP’s Office.

As Lakshmana remained adamant, the Police took him and other Congress leaders into preventive custody, thus putting an end to the high drama that prevailed for two hours. Lakshmana had carried a 500-page document listing the ‘contributions of the Congress’ to Mysuru’s development, which he displayed to the media.