Daijiworld Media Network – Mangaluru

Bengaluru, Apr 29: Union minister Pralhad Joshi on Monday lashed out at chief minister Siddaramaiah and deputy chief minister D K Shivakumar for their conduct during a Congress event in Belagavi, where BJP women workers disrupted the proceedings.

Joshi accused Siddaramaiah of raising his hand against an additional superintendent of police (SP) on stage, calling it an act of arrogance and abuse of power. He alleged that Shivakumar obstructed BJP workers' protests and issued threats, terming the behaviour unconstitutional.

Warning that public anger was mounting against the Congress government’s ‘arrogance and misrule’, Joshi stressed the importance of upholding citizens' right to protest.

Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council, Chalavadi Narayanaswamy, also hit out at Siddaramaiah, questioning the government's intelligence setup and condemning the CM’s aggressive behaviour towards the police. He alleged that Congress workers attacked BJP women protesters and described the ruling government as ‘goonda raj’.

The controversy erupted after BJP workers protested against Siddaramaiah’s earlier comments suggesting there was ‘no need for war with Pakistan’, prompting an angry reaction from the chief minister during the event.