Stone pelting incident a conspiracy hatched by Congress: Karnataka CM Bommai

Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said the Congress leaders have hatched a conspiracy to misguide the Banjara community people with regard to the government's decision to recommend the Centre to implement Sadashiva panel commission's report on internal reservation among Scheduled Castes.

Addressing press persons after launching Mega Integrated Textile Region and Apparel (PM MITRA) Park here on Tuesday, he said that it is systematic plan of the Opposition party that led to violence in Shikaripur where police resorted to lathi charge after agitators hurled stones at the residence of the former CM B S Yediyurappa.

"Congress leaders had conducted a meeting one day before the violence. All those who were caught by the police for pelting stones are Congress leaders. I am saying this with proper evidence. They have provoked the Banjara community people who did not know anything. Therefore, KPCC president D K Shivakumar should stop levelling charges against BJP over the incident", Bommai said.

Lambasting Congress for closure of textile industries in Karnataka, he said that the textile mills had to move to other states from Karnataka due the wrong policies adopted by the government few decades ago. He pointed out that the textile park announced by the Centre will facilitate the flow of Rs 10,000 crore investment apart from creation of one lakh direct and two lakh indirect employment in Kalyana Karnataka region. He also said that the move to set up textile park is a major initiative after special status accorded to the region under article 371J of the Constitution.

"The textile park in Kalaburagi is a big boost for economic progress of Kalyana Karnataka. This will stop the migration of the people from the region to metropolitan cities in search of employment", Bommai said.