Panchamasali leaders in Congress claim protest is being politicised

It has become a platform to promote leaders like Basanagouda Patil Yatnal, according to Vijayanand Kashappanavar

Panchamasali leaders in the Congress said in Belagavi on Thursday that the community’s reservation agitation is being politicised.

“I have said this in the past. From a community movement, it has become a BJP protest,” Congress MLA Vijayanand Kashappanavar told reporters.

“It is being used a platform to promote Basanagouda Patil Yatnal as a BJP leader. It is also being misused to settle scores in the internal tussle between State BJP leaders. That is the reason, I did not join the protest this time,” he said.

Minister Lakshmi Hebbalkar also said that the agitation is being politicised and that it is unnecessary. It should remain a community movement and a non- partisan agitation. Otherwise, it will be easily derailed by vested interests, she said.

She denied the charge by seer Sri Basava Jaya Mrutyunjay Swami that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah did not invite them for talks, before the lathi-charge. “The Chief Minister told me about it and I invited the seer and other leaders for talks. I made a telephone call to the former Minister C.C. Patil to come for talks. I also met some leaders in person and invited them. But they did not come. Now, they cannot deny the invitation,” she said.

“No one should take the law into their own hands. I suggested to the seer that it was getting late and the protestors were hungry. We could end the protest rally and opt for talks with the Chief Minister. But due to provocation from some people, the crowd had to face lathi-charge. The lathi-charge was unfortunate. Such incidents should not recur,” she said.

Published - December 12, 2024 08:53 pm IST