Karnataka government unveils poster of Veer Savarkar in assembly: Congress stages protest

Bengaluru, Dec 19: The unveiling of the poster of Veer Savarkar in the Karnataka legislative assembly has led to protests by members of the opposition Congress.

The assembly in Karnataka witnessed protests by the opposition on Monday as the winter session began in Belagavi, the contested region amidst the border dispute with Maharashtra. Opposition leader including Siddaramaiah and D K Shivakumar were among the many who were sitting outside the assembly and staging a protest against the ruling Basavaraj Bommai led BJP government against the unveiling of Veer Savarkar's poster in the assembly.

Congress MLA D K Shivakumar told news agency ANI that they (BJP) want our assembly proceedings not to take place. They want it to be disrupted. They have brought this photo because were are going to raise a lot of corruption issues against them. They do not have any development agenda, Shivakumar said. The portrait war has become the biggest point of contention between the BJP and Congress in Karnataka now.

Belagavi | VD Savarkar's portrait unveiled in Karnataka Assembly hall. Congress MLAs have staged a protest with LoP Siddaramaiah writing to Speaker to install portraits of personalities like Valmiki, Basavanna, Kanaka Dasa, BR Ambedkar, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and many others. pic.twitter.com/Esgdl8bdgP

— ANI (@ANI) December 19, 2022

The Belagavi police on then other hand have denied permission to the Maharashtra Ekikarna Samithi to hold their Mahamela convention due to the heightened tensions between the two states. In view of the ongoing assembly session, large gatherings in the area have been prohibited.

Protests have taken place in the Maharashtra assembly too. Several key leaders from the opposition took part in sloganeering against the Karnataka government and Chief Minister Bommai. They also criticised the ruling government in Maharashtra for not taking a stand on the Belagavi issue.

Last week Union Home Minister, Amit Shah had met with the chief ministers of Maharashtra and Karnataka. Maharashtra's deputy chief minister, Devendra Fadnavis had said that a resolution on the border dispute would be passed in the assembly.

Meanwhile Union Minister, Prahlad Joshi said that there must be ideological differences, but Veer Savarkar is a freedom fighter. Go ask Siddaramaiah should a poster of Dawood Ibrahim be put in the assembly, Joshi said. He added that Congress is doing appeasement politics and they keep talking about their role in the freedom struggled their sacrifices. However that Congress and this Congress is not the same. What we have today is a duplicate Congress, Joshi also added.