From Our Special Correspondent

Daijiworld Media Network

Bengaluru, Feb 20: Even as the day-night dharna of Congress legislators of both the Houses of State Legislature completed Day 4 on Sunday, February 20, KPCC Chief D K Shivakumar said the protest demanding the dismissal of Rural Development and Panchayat Minister K S Eshwarapa against his statement of hoisting saffron flag at Red Fort, where only the National Tricolour is flown, will be continued and intensified throughout the state from Monday, February 21 onwards with memoranda submitted by the local party units to Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot.

Shivakumar and Congress party’s opposition leaders Siddaramaiah and B K Hariprasad along with the party’s MLAs and MLCs spent the night in Vidhana Soudha on Sunday, held their morning walks in the precincts of the Vidhana Soudha and kept themselves busy reading the newspapers.

Speaking to media representatives on Sunday, the Congress leaders said they expected Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and the Governor to act against the minister for insulting the national flag and merely carried out their protests by wearing black badges during the Governor’s address to the joint session of the State Legislature. “If we knew the Chief Minister and the government had scant respect for the national flag and Constitution, we would have prevented the Governor’s address by holding our protests,” he said.

“If Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai had any self-respect, Eshwarappa would have been immediately dismissed from the Cabinet when he said Industries Minister Murugesh Nirani would be the next Chief Minister,” the KPCC Chief said and pointed out that Eshwarappa had the audacity to directly write to the Governor against former Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa and was allowed to continue as minister in the same cabinet.

Shivakumar said the senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha floor leader Mallikarjuna Kharge had visited all the protesting legislators in Vidhana Soudha on Saturday and has appreciated the valiant efforts to uphold national honour and fight for democratic rights and principles.

The KPCC Chief lambasted the Chief Minister for not bothering to take any action or at least write to the High Court Chief Justice demanding dismissal of the judge in Raichuru for insulting the architect of Indian Constitution Dr BR Ambedkar and strongly supported the massive protest carried out by the Dalit Sangarsha Samithi in the City on Saturday.

“The very fact that these type of incidents are taking place and the national flag, Constitution and democratic values and principles are deliberately insulted in the State indicates the misrule and misgovernance,” he said.