‘Ganpati being put behind bars’: Modi attacks Congress over Karnataka incident
Prime Minister Narendra Modi made the remarks during an election rally in Haryana's Kurukshetra.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a sharp attack on the Congress party during an election rally in Haryana, accusing it of prioritising “appeasement” politics as its “biggest goal”. Addressing a large crowd in Kurukshetra, Modi highlighted a recent incident in Karnataka, where a Ganesh idol was momentarily seized by police in Bengaluru amid a protest against stone-pelting during a Ganesh immersion procession.
“Appeasement is the biggest goal for Congress. Today the situation has become such that even Ganpati is being put behind bars in the Congress-ruled state of Karnataka,” Modi said.
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What exactly happened to Ganpati idol in Karnataka?
The Ganesh idol controversy occurred after a group of devotees attempted to protest the alleged attack on a Ganesh idol immersion procession by stone-pelters in Nagamangala taluk. The protest was organised by the Bengaluru Metropolitan Ganesh Utsav Committee and was initially denied permission by the police.
During the protest, a three-star inspector was seen placing the Ganesh idol into a police van designated for detaining protesters, a move that quickly drew media attention. Realising the potential backlash, the police promptly moved the idol to a police jeep while detaining the protesters.
“The whole country is celebrating Ganesh Utsav today and Congress is obstructing it... Today it is not the same old Congress, today's Congress has become the new form of urban Naxal. Congress is no longer ashamed of lying,” Modi alleged.
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Stone-pelting in Nagamangala
The situation in Nagamangala had escalated following clashes between two groups during the immersion procession on September 12.
According to police, an argument broke out between two groups, when the Ganesh idol procession by devotees from Badarikoppalu village reached a place of worship on Wednesday, and some miscreants hurled stones, which escalated the situation.
The violence resulted in damage to shops and vehicles, with several people, including two policemen, sustaining injuries. Police have since arrested 52 individuals and imposed prohibitory orders to maintain order.
Chief minister Siddaramaiah condemned the violence as the work of miscreants and said the state government was taking it seriously. He urged the public to maintain peace and not be swayed by incitement.
Home minister G Parameshwara said the clashes cannot be termed as "communal violence" as he maintained that the incident happened on the "spur of the moment".
In the wake of the unrest, the BJP accused the Congress of fostering an environment of appeasement that led to the violence, while JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy condemned the state’s handling of law and order. Kumaraswamy warned that if the Congress continues its alleged appeasement policies, it could face significant political repercussions.