Siddaramaiah accuses BJP of silencing Opposition, calls Karnataka government 'corrupt'

Leader of the Opposition in Karnataka Legislative Assembly, Siddaramaiah, on Friday, accused the state ruling BJP government of undemocratically silencing the voice of the opposition. He alleged that the government has no courage to face the opposition and is, therefore, "running away" from extending the ongoing Assembly session in Karnataka. 

The Monsoon Session of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly that witnessed large-scale protests from the opposition Congress party, came to an end on Friday. Opposition parties demanded the state government extend the time of the session for discussing issues concerning the people.

Speaking on the same, Siddaramaiah said, "Our party had decided not to enter the Assembly to protest during this session. Our intention was to dedicate the entire time to discuss issues concerning the common man. Unfortunately, the BJP unit in Karnataka does not want any discussion."

The former Karnataka chief minister also said that the BJP government has not provided any proper answers to the opposition's questions and just wanted to end the session as soon as possible. As a result, the opposition had no other option rather than protesting, he added. Further, slamming the BJP, Siddaramaiah said that it does not want any discussions in the Assembly session and just wants to pass their Bills as per their agenda.

The Karnataka Leader of Opposition lashed out at the BJP government and Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai in a series of tweets. 

Karnataka Assembly Monsoon Session

The Monsoon session held by the state Cabinet commenced on September 13 and concluded on September 24. Several issues were discussed during the session, which was marked with opposition parties constantly protesting against the Centre and state government for issues like hike in petrol prices, inflation, COVID, etc. Several Congress leaders and MLAs were also seen on bullock carts and bicycles as a way of protesting the fuel price rise.

In a response to the protests by the opposition, BJP leaders have come forward and questioned the Congress’ decision to boycott the session. “It's a step towards empowering & strengthening democracy. They (Congress) need to participate. What's wrong in this? It's not against anybody, it's for the people & lawmakers to interact & listen,” Karnataka Minister Dr CN Ashwathnarayan said.

(With inputs from ANI, Image: PTI/ANI)