Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, photo by special arrangement
CM Siddaramaiah to fly to Delhi as BJP corners govt after deadly stampede
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is scheduled to visit Delhi on Tuesday to apprise the Congress national leadership of the recent developments in Karnataka.
The BJP and JD(S) leaders, including Union Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, have intensified their attack on the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government following the tragic stampede near Chinnaswamy Stadium on June 4. The opposition parties have held the state government responsible for the incident, which claimed 11 lives, accusing it of administrative lapses that led to the disaster.
The BJP has also come out strongly in support of the suspended IPS officers, including former Bengaluru City Police Commissioner B. Dayananda. In several media interactions, BJP leaders have alleged that the government has made the senior police officials scapegoats to deflect blame from its own shortcomings.
Sources indicate that during his visit, the Chief Minister will brief the top Congress leadership on the political fallout of the incident and the government’s handling of the situation. Deputy Chief Minister and Bengaluru Development Minister D.K. Shivakumar is already in Delhi, holding discussions with party leaders.
Meanwhile, party insiders suggest that the Congress high command is concerned about the political repercussions of the incident, which the BJP has seized upon to launch a coordinated attack—not just in Karnataka, but also at the national level.