Condemning Chief Minister Siddaramaiah for calling the RSS, BJP and Sangh Parivar men as "terrorists," the district BJP unit staged a protest in front of the Congress Bhavana at Mallikatte on Friday.
The police arrested 86 BJP workers, including BJP leaders Yogish Bhat, Monappa Bhandary, Vedavyasa Kamath, Satyajith Surathkal, Roopa D Bangera and Santhosh Kumar under Police Act Section 71. Later, they were released, DCP (Law and Order) Hanumantharaya said.
The protesters raised slogans condemning the chief minister's remark and demanded an apology.
'Agent of PFI?'
Addressing the protesters, Monappa Bhandary said, "AICC secretary K C Venugopal, who is in charge of Congress in Karnataka, has clearly said that there is no question to ban PFI. Is Venugopal an agent of the PFI?" he asked.
"Why the state government is failing to ban PFI and KFD in the state. Can't they see Hindu girls are being kidnapped in the name of Love Jihad and are forcibly converted. We are protesting against the Congress-led state government," he said.