Tensions flared at JP Park in Mathikere, Bengaluru on Sunday during Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar’s public outreach programme, when BJP MLA Munirathna stormed the stage, accusing the event of being a Congress-backed show rather than a government initiative.
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For the past three days, Shivakumar, who also holds the Bengaluru Development portfolio, has been conducting an outreach drive, “Bengaluru Nadige”, to connect with citizens and hear their grievances. On Sunday, his programme included interactions with morning walkers, RWAs, and local residents at JP Park, which falls under Munirathna’s Rajarajeshwari Nagar constituency.
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As the Deputy CM addressed the crowd alongside BBMP officials, Munirathna, wearing an RSS-style uniform and black cap, was invited onto the stage, news agency PTI reported. However, the scene quickly turned chaotic. The BJP MLA seized the microphone from the anchor and slammed the event as politically biased.
{{/usCountry}}As the Deputy CM addressed the crowd alongside BBMP officials, Munirathna, wearing an RSS-style uniform and black cap, was invited onto the stage, news agency PTI reported. However, the scene quickly turned chaotic. The BJP MLA seized the microphone from the anchor and slammed the event as politically biased.
{{/usCountry}}“The banner that has been put up here does not have the photos of the MP or the MLA of this area. This is a Congress event and not a government event,” Munirathna charged, sparking a commotion. His supporters raised slogans, prompting police intervention to clear them from the venue.
The MLA then staged a sit-in protest near a flag post, calling it an “insult” to the elected representative of the area. Shivakumar, trying to restore order, urged the crowd to remain calm. “The MLA didn't have the patience. I don't know whether he came here to insult this public meeting,” Shivakumar said, as quoted in the report, adding that such disruptions wouldn’t deter him. “Me and you are bit perturbed because of electing such people. I know this situation.”
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The clash was the latest in a long-running feud between Shivakumar and Munirathna, once political allies. Shivakumar is believed to have played a role in Munirathna’s early rise in Congress, before the latter defected to the BJP and helped bring down the Congress-JD(S) coalition government in 2019.
Since joining the BJP, Munirathna became a minister and won the 2023 Assembly elections. He also played a key role in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, where Shivakumar’s brother, DK Suresh, lost his seat.
Recently, Munirathna has faced multiple legal troubles, including cheating and rape allegations, cases he claims are politically motivated. He was arrested and sent to judicial custody, though he has since been given a clean chit in at least one case.
(With inputs from PTI)