Would any govt instigate a clash? HM questions Oppn on Mandya riots

Bengaluru: Reacting strongly to criticism over the handling of the violence during the Ganesh Visarjan procession in Mandya district, Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara said on Friday that he does not need a certificate from the BJP and asked if any government would instigate riots in its state. Speaking to reporters at his residence in Bengaluru on Friday, he stated, “As the Home Minister, I am working with responsibility. I don’t need a certificate from the BJP. I have a responsibility, and I am not in this position without accountability. We are doing our work.

“Am I defending the Nagamangala incident? Whoever is responsible will face legal action. Have we arrested 56 people without reason?”Responding to the BJP’s allegation that the government was complicit and that the incident was pre-planned, Parameshwara said, “Would any government instigate a clash? Saying that it shouldn’t have happened is not wrong. Don’t they understand the Kannada language? I want to make it clear: No one in the state will be allowed to take the law into their hands.”

He further stated, “Whoever it may be, if there are unnecessary disturbances and clashes during Ganesh festivities or any other festivals, they will not be spared. We will take strict action within the framework of the law without any compromise.”“There is no need for us to appease any community. If statements are twisted and misinterpreted to suit one’s narrative, there is nothing we can do about it,” he said. Parameshwara had said on Thursday that the violence took place accidentally and the BJP accused him of trivialising the incident and demanded his resignation.