The Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council, Chalavadi Narayanaswamy, blamed Congress MLA Bharath Reddy for the Ballari banner violence and demanded his arrest for “hate speech”.
Speaking to presspersons in Hubballi on Saturday, Mr Chalavadi Narayanaswamy said that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah clearly knew who was responsible for the Ballari banner violence and that is why when Bharath Reddy called him, he did not pick up the call. Instead, he told Minister Zameer Ahmed to speak to the MLA and reprimand him, he said.
He said that when the scuffle took place over the hanging of the banner, former minister Janardhan Reddy was not there. “But Bharath Reddy, who came to the spot, gave a provocative speech, which led to aggravation of the situation. Isn’t that hate speech?” he asked.
Mr. Narayanaswamy sought to find out why proper records were not kept of weapons owned by private gunmen. “It was the Congress workers who assembled outside Mr. Janardhan Reddy’s residence, indulged in violence, assault and opened fire, leading to the death of their own party worker. But cases were filed against Mr. Janardhan Reddy and others,” he quipped.
Published – 03 Jan 2026 20:10 IST
