BS Yeddyurappa's show of might targets BBMP; police arrest BJP leaders

BENGALURU: Protesting vehemently against the BBMP and state government for unscientifically increasing property tax, power tariff, milk price, borewell charges and levying fuel cess, thousands of BJP workers, led by their top state level leaders, gathered near Kanteerava Stadium on Kasturba Road on Tuesday.

They demanded better solid waste management system and safety for women in the IT City. Traffic on Kasturba Road and surrounding areas came to a grinding halt for a couple of hours from 10.30 am when the BJP supporters started pouring in from different parts of the city.

Addressing the gathering, BJP state president B.S. Yeddyurappa slammed the state government and the BBMP for burdening the common man with a number of taxes and cess.

“Following the intense protests by the BJP and an overnight dharna by its party corporators recently, the BBMP had kept zonal reclassification on hold. The BBMP should roll back the 20 per cent hike on residential and 25 per cent hike on non-residential properties too. The protests will be intensified if the BBMP and the government fail to budge,” Mr Yeddyurappa warned.  

He demanded that the mayor revoke the suspension of four corporators, who protested against the hike in property tax, and challenged him to suspend all the 101 corporators.

“Honest officials like BBMP Assistant Commissioner (Ads) K. Mathai have been transferred to shield corrupt officials. The BBMP does not want the services of honest officials who fetch good revenues for the civic body. People are forced to hold their nose while walking on city streets, which are full of garbage. The crisis has to be resolved soon,” he demanded.

“The ruling Congress is ignoring the drought-hit parts of the state. The government took the pains to inspect and visit parched areas only after the BJP formed 11 teams to tour the state. Do Congress and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah have the courage to face the people,” Mr Yeddyurappa asked.

“It’s Tugalaq durbar in the state now. Though the union government is allocating sufficient funds for development of highways and railways, nothing has been done,” he criticized. City MLA R. Ashok said that the pourakarmikas are given match boxes along with brooms, so that they can set garbage piles on fire.

Several BJP leaders, including party MP P.C. Mohan, city MLAs R. Ashok, S. Suresh Kumar, Muniraju and C.N. Ashwath Narayan, were arrested by the police when they stepped from the stadium to march towards the BBMP office.

Traffic badly hit in Central Business District
The vehicular movement in the Central Business District (CBD) came to a standstill on Tuesday morning after hundreds of BJP party workers gathered on Kasturba Road, outside Kanteerava Indoor Stadium, to oppose the ‘unscientific hike’ in property tax rates and demanded better solid waste management in the city.

The protest which started around 10.30 am in front of Kanteerva Indoor Stadium on Kasturba Road caused traffic snarls for over two hours. The BJP party workers gathered in large numbers and the traffic police diverted vehicles to adjacent roads.

While there was slow moving traffic at Corporation Circle, Town Hall and surrounding areas, but it came to a standstill on Kasturba Road, Brigade Road, M.G. Road, Richmond Circle, Queens Road, J.C. Road, Vellara Junction.

A senior traffic police official said, “Over 40 policemen were deployed to control the traffic and we managed it effectively. While vehicles were banned when the protest began, there was free-flowing traffic post 2 pm.”