Daijiworld Media Network – Bantwal (SP)
Bantwal, Mar 11: Addressing a press conference here on Monday March 10, zilla panchayat member, Chandraprakash Shetty, who has been charged by BJP leaders of inciting violence through inflammatory speech at a Congress convention on Saturday, said he had not used either derogatory words against Dr Parbhakar Bhat, not had the latter been referred in singular. He said that the convention was meant to place actual facts before the people in response to a spate of lies being spread by BJP in various meetings in the taluk.
“We had never disturbed any of the meetings held by BJP in the taluk. We wanted to tell the people what Dr Bhat had done. Sensing that his misdeeds would be laid bare, these disturbances were engineered,” he opined. ZIlla panchayat member, M S Muhammed, Mayilappa Salian, and various other leaders were present.
Speaking at a press conference in Mangalore, Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee secretary, Ivan D’Souza, accused BJP of having planned to create disturbances at the Congress convention in Kalladka sufficiently advance. He said that BJP is frustrated at the fact that Goltamajalu area, where BJP ruled the roost in the past, has now been taken over by Congress candidates, and also at the surveys which have predicted victory for Congress candidate from Dakshina Kannada constituency in the coming election. He said the way the disturbances took place clearly indicate that they had been conceived beforehand.
Ashit Pereira, Melvyn, and other leaders were present.
In the meanwhile, relating to the incident, three policemen from the town police station here, Ramesh, who was injured in the incident and is being treated in a hospital, as well as Pradeep and Kumar have been transferred to Zoida in Uttara Kannada district, charging them of dereliction of duty. Relating to these transfers, Hindu Hitarakshana Vedike leader,Jitendra S Kottary, has accused the poilce department of failing to arrest those who assaulted the police personnel, and also of taking unilateral action against Hindu activists. He said that BJP leaders have already met western range inspector general of police and district superintendent of police, and handed over memorandums about the partisan attitude being shown by the police circle inspector of the town police station.
BJP leader and former state minister, K S Eshwarappa, is scheduled to visit Kalladka at 4 pm on Tuesday March 11 to meet the families of those arrested in connection with the above disturbances, and interact with the family members. This was stated by BJP leader, Srikar Prabhu.