Cong, BJP functionaries continue mud-slinging

Mangaluru: KPCC working president and MLC Manjunath Bhandary said on Friday that the Boliyar incident seems to be part of a pre-planned conspiracy hatched by BJP to create unrest.
“Everyone has the right to hold a vijayotsava during an election or a cricket match,” he said, adding there is a rule that political parties need to obtain permission. “What was the need for holding a vijayotsava and raising provocative slogans in front of a religious shrine,” he questioned.
Referring to BJP’s allegations that their workers were attacked for raising ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’, Bhandary denied the charges and said BJP leaders have been misleading people.“Let BJP leaders introspect on the incident and check what were the provocative slogans raised by their workers,” he said.
Meanwhile, Udupi-Chikmagalur MP-elect Kota Shrinivas Poojari, who visited the Boliyar stab victims at the private hospital, said the law and order situation in Karnataka worsened and even raising ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ has been considered a crime. “However, those who shout pro-Pakistan slogans inside Vidhan Soudha are given protection. A case has been booked against those who raised ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’. The BJP will launch protests if the govt continues to engage in such heinous acts with the help of police,” he said. Poojari also demanded the withdrawal of cases registered against BJP workers in connection with the Boliyar incident. tnn