B’luru cafe blast: BJP hits out at Cong after Shivakumar says business rivalry angle being also probed

Bengaluru: The Opposition BJP hit out at the Congress government in Karnataka over the blast at Bengaluru’s Rameshwaram cafe.

After Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar said that the business rivalry angle is being also probed, state BJP President B.Y. Vijayendra the Congress leader’s conduct remains the same, his name would be included in the “list of anti-nationals”.

Speaking to reporters in Kunigal of Tumakuru district, Shivakumar said that the officers probing the blast incident are looking into the angle of business rivalry.

“Rameshwaram cafe blast is being investigated. There is no need for people of Bengaluru to be concerned. CCTV footage of surrounding areas is available and the verification is on to find out the movement of people in two kilometres of radius,” he said, adding that there is no need to panic.

BJP leader Vijayendra said that the “my brother policy” of the Congress government in Karnataka has become a “great threat” to the people.

“I claim this because, when the cooker blast took place in Mangaluru, Deputy Chief Minister Shivakumar said that the accused were his brothers. He gave them clean chit. The Congress did not initiate action because of minority appeasement after the episodes which took place in Shivamogga during the celebration of Tipu Jayanthi, when anti-national elements pelted stones, barged inside the houses of Hindus,” the state BJP chief said.

“The state government should handover the case to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) immediately. The BJP will not stoop to the level of carrying politics over such incidents,” he said, adding that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah should have resigned.

Terming the blast a “terrorist act”, Leader of Oppostion R. Ashoka claimed that whenever Siddaramaiah comes to power, terrorists get “emboldened”.

–IANS