Karnataka IT Minister Priyank Kharge
Credit: DH Photo
Karnataka Minister for Rural Development and Panchayat Raj (RDPR) Priyank Kharge on Tuesday sought to lay bare the BJP’s double standards in demanding accountability from the Congress for the stampede at M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, while staying mum on similar tragedies in states where the saffron party was in power.
Responding to BJP’s demands for Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s resignation for the Bengaluru tragedy that left 11 people dead, Priyank said, “As many as five people died in Maharashtra on Monday owing to a lack of crowd management outside a railway station. Why has this incident not come under the national media’s lens? Why are BJP leaders not calling for the Maharashtra CM and Deputy CM to resign?”
Reminding the BJP that the Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh government had been criticised by the judiciary for its failure to compensate the victims of the stampede during the Kumbh Mela, Priyank said, “Did Yogi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi or Union Home Minister Amit Shah resign? In fact, they dubbed the entire event a success.”
The RDPR Minister accused the BJP of exploiting tragedies for political gain. Pointing out that senior BJP leaders such as Union Minister Shobha Karandlaje often issued provocative statements that contributed to unrest, Priyank asked, “Do such leaders resign?”
‘Govt didn’t organise event at stadium’
Priyank reiterated that the Congress government had not organised the event to commemorate RCB’s IPL triumph at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. Charging the BJP with misrepresenting the CM’s statements, Priyank said, “The event was organised by a private entity. The government deployed as many personnel as the organisers had sought. How is the CM responsible?”