Cong, JD(S) workers clash over flex issue in Hunsur

Pandemonium prevailed during the groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of Devaraj Urs Government Hospital, as Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) women’s wing president Pushpa Amarnath, along with her supporters, staged a flash protest, alleging a violation of protocol, in Hunsur on Monday.

The 100-bed hospital is being constructed near the bypass road in Hunsur town, at a cost of Rs 25 crore.

District in-charge Minister G T Devegowda launched the works. Pushpa Amarnath alleged that the picture of Deputy Chief Minister (DCM) G Parameshwara has been intentionally neglected in the flex put up for the event.

She took MLA and state JD(S) president A H Vishwanath to task. “The absence of the DCM’s photo in the flex, is a violation of protocol, as there is a coalition government and it is a government programme,” she said.

Vishwanath explained that the flex was put up voluntarily by party workers and not by the government. He pointed out that the flex by Congress workers too did not have the picture of the DCM. As soon as Pushpa Amarnath learnt this, she exited the spot.

There was heated exchange of words between the workers of both the parties. However, the police intervened and brought the situation under control.

District in-charge Minister G T Devegowda said the flexes installed by the Congress party workers too did not have the pictures of Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy and DCM Parameshwara. Instead, they have pictures of former MLAs, he said.