Tension over statue to eat into Belagavi session

The fresh round of linguistic tensions following the defacement of Shivaji and Sangolli Rayanna statues is going to impact the last four days of the Belagavi session, with the Opposition set to target the government over law and order issues.

Tempers among Kannada and Marathi-speaking communities in parts of Belagavi had flared up after a Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti (MES) leader was smeared with ink, following which a Karnataka flag was torched in Kolhapur. The defacement of Shivaji and Sangolli Rayanna statues and retaliation by various groups have forced the state to impose prohibitory orders in Belagavi, where the legislature session is currently in progress.

Amid the vandalism and uproar, key issues like widespread corruption in the tender process of various government projects and the case of hacker Srikrishna Ramesh alias Sriki are bound to take a back seat.

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The ruling BJP has targeted the Opposition for the situation in Belagavi, holding Congress workers responsible for disfiguring Shivaji statue in Bengaluru and Rayanna statue in Belagavi. Meanwhile, Kannada organisations have sought a ban on MES — a prominent Marathi organisation in Belagavi and surrounding areas.

That these incidents have occurred during the Belagavi session — when the state administrative machinery is concentrated in the border district — will give ammunition to the Opposition. The divide between Kannada and Marathi-speaking population has already been a subject of discussion in the Assembly, which passed a censure motion last week after the burning of a Kannada flag in Kolhapur. The JD(S) has been raising such linguistic issues of late in a bid to place itself as a pro-Kannada
party.

Apart from this, the Congress will continue to demand a discussion on the FIR registered against Urban Development Minister Byrati Basavaraj, which was rejected by Assembly Speaker Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri on Friday. Similar demands in the Legislative Council have consumed nearly two days of proceedings.

Corruption charges

These issues will push the allegations of corruption in tender processes and the Sriki case to the backburner. Sources said the Opposition, too, was not keen to discuss the graft issue due to the video involving Congress leader V S Ugrappa and expelled media coordinator M A Saleem. The video had pinned the blame on KPCC president D K Shivakumar for increasing ‘commission rates’ for government projects. Sources said the Congress feared a strong retaliation from the BJP if the issue is taken up.

Meanwhile, demanding the state to repeal farm laws along the lines of the central government, farmer organisations will stage a protest in Belagavi during the session.

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