BENGALURU: Karnataka BJP leaders, including state president BY Vijayendra, former Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa and senior leader CT Ravi, were detained by police on Thursday during protests against the policies and price hikes introduced by the Congress-led state government in Bengaluru.
The demonstrations, targeting the Siddaramaiah administration, led to a swift response from authorities. The leaders were taken into custody as tensions flared in the state capital.
The BJP in Karnataka were protesting against the state government over price hikes across multiple sectors. The opposition party leaders in the State staged an overnight protest in Bengaluru’s Freedom Park and continued to demonstrate in the morning.
Stating that the Congress government has increased the prices of all the essentials, BJP MLC Chalavadi Narayanaswamy said that they want to remain in charge based on the five guarantees offered earlier.
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The BJP leader took a dig at the ministers in the State government for passing the buck onto the centre for the price hike, saying that only “irresponsible” ministers could make such remarks.
Meanwhile, Karnataka BJP president BY Vijayendra attacked the state government on Wednesday and said that a price hike is the only guarantee implemented by the government.
“The reason behind the day and night dharna by the BJP is inflation… Price hike is the only guarantee implemented by the government, and the common man is affected by inflation… Being a responsible opposition party, we have protested day and night. The Congress party should withdraw the decision on price hikes. Otherwise, the common man will come out on the streets and will not let the government work. I demand from the Chief Minister and the cabinet colleagues that they should visit the villages and understand the ground reality”, Vijayendra told reporters.
Vijayendra urged Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to step out of his air-conditioned room and tour the entire state, not just Bengaluru, along with his ministers.
He drew a historical comparison, stating that past kings used to disguise themselves and interact with their people before implementing beneficial policies and further suggested that if Siddaramaiah was feeling insecure about his position, he should take Deputy CM DK Shivakumar along with him on these visits.
The price of diesel in Karnataka is set to rise by Rs 2 per litre as the state government has increased the sales tax on diesel to 21.17 per cent. The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has also introduced a new “garbage cess”, making it mandatory for Bengaluru residents to pay a solid waste management user fee starting Tuesday, April 1.
The BBMP has decided to increase door-to-door waste collection and disposal charges, imposing a monthly ‘garbage cess’ on various properties. The new tax will be levied on residential buildings, shops, and hotels, with charges varying based on property size. The garbage cess will be collected annually along with property tax. The BBMP expects to generate around Rs 600 crore annually through this initiative to boost its revenue.
This move follows recent hikes in milk and electricity prices, adding another financial burden on residents. On March 27, the Karnataka government announced a Rs 4 per litre increase in the price of Nandini milk and curd, effective April 1. This decision was taken during a Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to support dairy farmers and account for rising milk production and processing costs. (ANI)
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