"Heights of arrogance of state govt" Karnataka BJP chief slams Siddarmaiah over police lathi charge at Panchamasali community's protest

Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], December 15 (ANI): Karnataka Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Vijayendra Yediyurappa criticised the state government over the police lathi charge on the Lingayat Panchamasali community during their protest for reservation, calling it an example of the arrogance of the CM Siddaramaiah-led government.
"The arrogance of CM Siddaramaiah's government is evident. Under his instructions, the police lathi-charged peaceful protestors from the Panchamasali community, as well as farmers and Hindus. This is the height of arrogance," said Vijayendra.
He further criticised the government for failing to apologise in the legislature, stating that such actions could not have occurred without the explicit directions of the Chief Minister and the Home Minister.
"Without instructions from the CM and HM, I don't think the police would have acted to this extent. The worst part is that neither the CM nor the HM apologised on the Floor of the House during the session. The BJP has discussed this issue in detail, but the state government remains adamant. We will raise this again in the legislature," he added.
Members of the Lingayat Panchamasali community staged a protest march on Thursday in Kalaburagi, condemning the police lathi charge on December 10 in Belagavi. They had been demanding reservation under the 2A category.
Vijayendra also dismissed bribery allegations made against him by Siddaramaiah and other Congress leaders, calling them baseless.
"Today, Anwar Manippady (former Minority Commission Chairperson) clearly stated that it was not me but Congress leaders who approached him. Regarding the allegations by Priyank Kharge and Siddaramaiah that I offered Rs 150 crore to Anwar Manippady, it's a big joke. When allegations are against Congress leaders for exploiting Waqf properties, where is the question of me offering help to Congress leaders? These claims are meaningless. We will address whatever issues the CM raised yesterday on the Floor of the House," he said.
Vijayendra's response came after Siddaramaiah, in a post on X, alleged that the BJP leader tried to bribe Anwar Manippady with Rs 150 crore to suppress investigations into Waqf property encroachments.
In the post, Siddaramaiah also called for a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry into the matter.
"Anwar Manippady publicly stated that Vijayendra visited his house during B.S. Yediyurappa's tenure as CM and offered Rs 150 crore to suppress the Wakf property encroachment report. He further stated that Anwar sent Vijayendra out of his house and reported the incident to PM @narendramodi and the BJP President," Siddaramaiah wrote.
The Chief Minister also questioned Prime Minister Modi's silence on the issue, claiming it raised serious concerns. He accused the BJP of turning Karnataka into its "ATM."
Meanwhile, Priyank Kharge accused PM Modi of selectively targeting the state government while ignoring allegations of corruption within his own party.
"PM @narendramodi makes speeches about a non-existent Excise Department transfer scam by the Karnataka government in Maharashtra but remains silent when his own party MLAs and spokespersons accuse their state BJP president BY Vijayendra of massive corruption, even officially writing to him," Kharge said. (ANI)