Bengaluru, Sep 22 (IANS): The series of violent incidents during the Ganesha idol immersion procession, ahead of by-elections in Karnataka, is proving to be a setback for the Congress party and its government.

Congress leaders have confided that they are concerned about the incidents connected to stone-pelting and rioting in Nagamangala town in Mandya district, known as a Vokkaliga heartland, where more than 20 shops were burnt. Additionally, stone-pelting and communal unrest in Davanagere City, located in central Karnataka, have also become a problem for the party.

The images of Lord Ganesha's idol being casually carried away by police personnel during the protests in Bengaluru, and the sacred idol being placed inside a police vehicle used to transport detainees, have hurt the religious sentiments of Hindus.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi referenced the images during an election rally in Haryana, stating, “In Congress-ruled Karnataka, even Ganpati is being put in jail.” The BJP and Hindu organisations have since criticised the Congress government for its handling of the situation.

Home Minister G. Parameshwara’s statement downplaying the event as a "small incident" only fuelled further criticism of the party. The BJP also objected to the police initially naming the event organizers as the first 23 accused and later adding names from the Muslim community in the FIR related to the Nagamangala case.

The death of a 23-year-old Hindu youth, Kiran, from the Badrikoppalu area of Nagamangala, who disappeared after fearing arrest in connection with the violence, is likely to further complicate matters for the Congress party. Kiran had left his village after the incident on September 11, fearing arrest.

He was admitted to the hospital on Friday and died of a brain stroke on Saturday (September 21). Kiran’s father is also under arrest. Kiran is named as the 17th accused in the case.

Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel H.D. Kumaraswamy visited Nagamangala and Badrikoppalu villages and launched an attack on the Congress government. The Congress attributed the violence to police failure and suspended both the police inspector and the deputy superintendent.

While the situation in Nagamangala in southern Karnataka was beginning to calm, a stone-pelting incident on a Ganesha Visarjan procession in Davanagere City in central Karnataka again placed the Congress government in a difficult position. Two policemen were injured in the incident.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said that Ganesha idols and processions were taking place at over 60,000 locations in Karnataka, with only two incidents reported in Nagamangala and Davanagere.

The Congress government has filed FIRs against senior BJP leader and LoP R. Ashoka and Union Minister of State Shobha Karandlaje for their posts regarding the Ganesha idol immersion violence. The Karnataka BJP has demanded an investigation by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) into the incident. The BJP's Fact-Finding Committee submitted a report stating that the communal violence in Nagamangala was pre-planned.

The BJP has also criticised the Congress government after Tumakuru University issued a circular restricting students from participating in Ganesha Utsava.

The Congress, which is already facing the consolidation of the influential Vokkaliga and Lingayat vote banks and suffered a setback in the Parliamentary elections, now faces the challenge of retaining its SC, ST, and OBC vote banks, which have been core strengths for the party.

This is happening at a critical time when by-elections for three Assembly seats are due.

The Channapatna Assembly seat is represented by Union Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, the Shiggaon Assembly seat by former CM and BJP MP Basavaraj Bommai, and the Sandur seat by Congress MP E. Tukaram.

In this changed scenario, the BJP is confident of winning all three seats. The party's attacks on the Congress government and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who is facing allegations in the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) scam and the Tribal Welfare Development Board scam, are likely to intensify.

Above all, Ganesha idol immersion processions will continue until October in the state, and the Congress is worried about the unfolding events. The grand old party is also tensed over the relationship between the government and the Governor’s office following the consent to prosecution against CM Siddaramaiah.

BJP State Mahila Morcha President K. Manjula, speaking to IANS, stated, “The Congress government has surrendered law and order for the sake of appeasement and vote bank politics. The soft corner for certain communities is glaringly evident even in women's issues and incidents of violence during Ganapati processions. This is not merely about local Hindu-Muslim differences, which could have been handled easily. There is an outside hand in the violence, and the Congress government is aware of it. The ruthless action needed to maintain law and order has not been initiated.”