From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network
Bengaluru, Apr 9: Lockdown and economic restrictions can be enforced only with the cooperation of the people, which is also essential for controlling the spread of Covid pandemic, said Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Friday.
Speaking to reporters in Humnabad of Bidar district during his campaign for the BJP candidate Sharanu Salagar in the Basavakalyan assembly by-election, he said controlling the Covid pandemic is a duty cast on everybody and not just government’s responsibility. Public cooperation is very much essential, he said.
Bommai, who is also the Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister, said Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa has taken a tough decision of enforcing night curfew in some districts in view of the constant spike in Covid infections. Night curfew has become inevitable to control the pandemic.
The minister the police have been instructed to strictly enforce the night curfew in the cities and districts and no violations will be tolerated.
“I have don’t have to explain the necessity of enforcing night curfew or the need to control the spurge in Covid cases. If situation goes beyond control, we will have to resort to stern measures. I sincerely appeal to people to not to lead us into such a situation,’’ he said pointing out that the government was confident of controlling the spread of the pandemic at the moment.
“If people don’t cooperate, we will be forced to take even stringent measures,’’ he said.
The Home Minister said bars and pubs will be closed down during nights. But there will be no restrictions on the plying of buses. Those organizing private functions must strictly adhere to the Covid guidelines and the organisers will be held responsible for any violations, he said.
Bommai claimed that the BJP candidate in Basavakalyan as well as in other assembly constituencies and Belagavi Lok Sabha by-election will score a resounding victory.
“BJP has won elections or by-elections even when the Congress-JD(S) coalition was in power. Now, when we are in power, our victory is a foregone conclusion,’’ Bommai said and taunted Congress opposition leader Siddaramaiah that he was personally aware of the bitter truth and was uttering falsehood merely to criticize the Yediyurappa regime.