Stating that the Congress does not have any moral right to pressurise the Government on the Mekedatu issue, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Tuesday said that Congress is pushing residents of Bengaluru to distress to further it’s own political interest. “The padayatra will not benefit Bengaluru in any way and will cause trouble. The Congress could have used Freedom Park to protest and rally. Instead it is causing traffic snarls by holding a padayatra from all directions for three days,” he told reporters here. “In Bengaluru, the spillover effect of traffic jams will have consequences all over the city. They are aware of it. Even then, to protect their political interest, they are troubling people.” Reiterating the Government’s commitment to execute Mekedatu project, the Chief Minister said that Congress is holding dharnas seeking implementation of projects that they failed to implement. “The DPR was also not done during the Congress regime. However, they are now asking for the commencement of civil works. Similarly, they could not implement several other projects. In contrast, we have made progress in these projects and are committed in such issues.” Mr. Bommai also accused the Congress of lodging several cases against the Opposition parties when it was in power. “It tried to trample upon the Opposition and ordered for lathi-charge several times. They should remember that. Is it fair on part of a responsible party like Congress to speak against the law taking its course?” He said that like every one has the right to protest in democracy, similarly the application of law should also be allowed. “The Congress has become desperate to capture power and has been indulging low-level politics.”
On the statement of KPCC President D. K. Shivakumar on Home Minister Araga Jnanendra, Mr. Bommai said that Mr. Shivakumar is a seasoned politician and has held several portfolios as Minister. “It is easy to talk about others. It is better to understand why such a situation arose. Mr. Shivakumar should make an effort to understand what has been his role.
