Government suppressing Opposition's right to protest: Joshi

State BJP president and Member of Parliament Pralhad Joshi on Sunday said the Congress government was systematically suppressing the Opposition’s right to protest.

Addressing a press conference, Joshi said that sources in the Home ministry and Police department had told him about the government’s decision to cordon off the Suvarna Vidhan Soudha (SVS) in Belagavi on December 9, where the BJP had decided to stage a protest against the government demanding dropping of four tainted ministers.

“They are going to erect barricades around the SVS and not allow us to protest during the winter session of the State Legislature. We are demanding that State government should at least give us a ground to stage our protest. If the government does not allow us to protest, they will have to face the consequences,” he said.

“Every time the BJP tries to protest against the government, it uses police force against us,” he said, adding that police officials had even misbehaved with the party's women morcha members, during recent protests. Top leaders of the party, both at State and national-level, will campaign in north Karnataka districts to garner support for the protest, he said.