BJP blasts Karnataka govt over Bengaluru stampede, demands resignation of CM and Deputy CM

New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday launched a scathing attack at Karnataka government over the tragic stampede that occurred near Bengaluru’s Chinnaswamy Stadium during Royal Challengers Bangalore’s (RCB) victory march, resulting in the death of 11 people and injuries to over 50.

The party held Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar directly responsible and demanded their resignations.

Addressing a press conference, BJP national spokesperson Sambit Patra termed the incident “serious and sorrowful.”

“Yesterday, in Bengaluru, Karnataka, at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, 11 people died in a stampede. This is not only a tragic event for Karnataka but for the entire country. The Prime Minister and many others have expressed their condolences. The BJP also mourns the loss of these 11 innocent lives in the Karnataka stampede. We pray to God to give strength and patience to the families of the deceased and to grant peace to the departed souls,” he said.

Raising serious questions about the circumstances leading to the tragedy, Patra said, “Was this just an accident or a manufactured stampede? I believe this was a government-manufactured stampede. Look at the audacity of the Chief Minister — Siddaramaiah says such stampedes occur everywhere. This is after 11 innocent lives were lost. Kannadigas will not forgive him or the Deputy CM. Their internal power tussle cost 11 lives.”

The BJP spokesperson also took to X on Thursday and asked, “Just like Allu Arjun was arrested earlier for being responsible for the stampede, will Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar be arrested today?”

Patra held the hasty organisation of the victory march responsible for the disaster and said, “Just because D.K. Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah wanted to do a photo-op, they rushed for organising a grand event within 12 hours. The result was 11 deaths and over 50 seriously injured.”

Questioning the legality of the event, the BJP MP said, “Who authorised this event? Who gave permission on paper? We want to see the risk assessment and the crowd management plan. If the stadium’s capacity is 35,000, how did 3,00,000 people gather? And why were they allowed in?”

“If police permission was not granted, how was the event held?” he added.

Patra further condemned the continuation of celebrations while the stampede happened.

“The worst part was that the felicitation continued even as people died. Celebrations over deaths — this is perhaps the first time India has seen something so shameful. Shame on Siddaramaiah and D.K. Shivakumar. They were smiling on stage while people were dying,” he said.

Drawing a parallel, Patra recalled the arrest of actor Allu Arjun in a previous stampede incident and questioned why similar action shouldn’t be taken against the top Karnataka leadership.

“If Allu Arjun was arrested in such a case, will D.K. Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah be arrested now?” he asked.

Patra also cited a viral video of Deputy CM Shivakumar allegedly pushing away a person to avoid being obstructed on camera.

“The Deputy CM’s concern was not crowd management, but scoring PR points,” Patra alleged.

On the matter of accountability, Patra asserted, “I’ve seen reports that an extra 25,000 tickets were sold beyond capacity. This is a clear failure of the state government. CM and Dy CM must resign for the death of 11 innocent people.”

Targeting Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Patra concluded, “Where is Rahul Gandhi today? The one who mocks the Indian government, mocks Narendra Modi, mocks the army daily in the name of democratic right — why is he silent on this tragedy?”

–IANS