Siddaramaiah slams BJP, highlights Gujarat riots as example of ‘Modi’s failure to take responsibility’

Bengaluru

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday hit out at the BJP, accusing the party of exploiting tragedies for political gain. He drew attention to the 2002 Gujarat riots, where an estimated 2,000 innocent lives were lost, and questioned the moral authority of BJP leaders, especially Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who, despite being advised by then-Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to resign, never did so and has never expressed remorse for the incident. Siddaramaiah challenged BJP leaders to answer for this before demanding his resignation in the wake of the Chinnaswamy Stadium incident.

Talking about the recent accident at Chinnaswamy Stadium, Siddaramaiah called it an unfortunate tragedy and reassured the public that his government had taken full responsibility. He mentioned that to ensure accountability, senior police officials, including the Bengaluru City Police Commissioner, had been removed from their posts, the head of the state’s intelligence department had been transferred, and his political secretary had been relieved of his duties. Moreover, he announced the formation of a one-man commission, headed by retired Justice John Michael Cunha, to conduct an unbiased and comprehensive investigation.

Despite these measures, Siddaramaiah claimed that BJP leaders, motivated by political interests, were staging protests, accusing them of turning people’s suffering into a tool for electoral gain. He likened their actions to vultures preying on the dead, criticising their history of politicising death and suffering in the wake of tragic incidents.

Siddaramaiah emphasised that his government deeply understood the grief of the affected families, which is why such incidents were not used for political gain. However, he pointed out that BJP leaders’ repeated provocations were clearly designed to incite unrest. In response, he drew attention to several incidents where BJP leaders had failed to take responsibility or initiate proper actions.

He first highlighted the 2002 Gujarat riots, where Modi, despite the massive loss of life and the recommendations of his own party’s leaders, refused to resign or express any regret. Siddaramaiah questioned how the BJP could demand his resignation when their own leaders had failed to take responsibility for such a massive tragedy.

Next, he mentioned the recent terrorist attack in Pahalgam, where 26 Indian citizens lost their lives. Siddaramaiah pointed out that his party had not demanded the resignation of the Prime Minister or called for a special session of Parliament. He criticised the central government for failing to identify or punish the perpetrators of the attack.

The Chief Minister also noted the ongoing violence in Manipur, where hundreds of people had died in the last two years. Despite this, the BJP Chief Minister of Manipur, Biren Singh, clung to his position for 20 months until the Supreme Court intervened. Siddaramaiah questioned whether the Union Home Minister should not bear some responsibility for the continuing violence in the state.

Siddaramaiah also referred to several other incidents in BJP-ruled states, including the Morbi bridge collapse in Gujarat, which claimed 140 lives, and the Mahakumbh Mela tragedy, where 30 pilgrims died. He criticised the lack of proper investigations into these incidents, questioning the BJP’s moral standing to demand his resignation over the Chinnaswamy Stadium incident.