Jagadish Shettar has a go at Siddaramaiah, sets off furore

Bengaluru: If Chief Minister Siddaramaiah took on Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his remarks against his government on Monday, the BJP went hammer and tongs against him on the “collapse of law and order in the state”  in the Legislative Assembly on Tuesday, causing a furore in the House and forcing the Speaker to adjourn it till lunch hour.

The House plunged into disorder soon after question hour when opposition leader Jagadish Shettar moved an adjournment motion on the law and order situation, drawing strong protests from Home Minister , Ramalinga Reddy, Bengaluru Development Minister, K J George, Food and Civil Supplies Minister , U T Khader and Water Resources Minister, M B Patil.

The discussion soon veered from  law and order  to investment in Karnataka and even the Godhra carnage. When all  his efforts failed to pacify the angry leaders , Speaker K B Koliwad adjourned the House for lunch hour. Earlier, moving the motion, Mr Shettar alleged that political interference in the  police department  was responsible for the break down of law and order in the state. The Home Minister was a dummy, and former IPS officer , Kempaiah was running the show, he claimed. “The police are being used to mobilise political support for the Congress. InSindagi, the newly transferred police inspector has been calling BJP workers and asking them to work for the Congress,” he alleged.   Also  claiming that the PFI had become so active in Karnataka that it was involved in blatant killing of  Hindu activists, he deplored that instead of recommending a ban on it to  the Centre, the state government was using it for its own political ends. However, it was when he reiterated Mr  Modi’s charge that it was easy to commit murders in Karnataka that the shouting match really began with  Mr Ramalinga Reddy and Mr George immediately protesting his claim. As the bout of words continued between the two sides,  the Speaker adjourned the House.