Chikkaballapur (Karnataka) [India], June 11: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has strongly rejected the BJP’s demand for his resignation over the tragic Bengaluru stampede that left 11 people dead, accusing the party of exploiting the incident for political gain.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Siddaramaiah said, “The BJP does politics in everything. They’re misleading people with lies and using every opportunity to demand resignations.”
He drew parallels to past incidents, questioning BJP’s selective outrage:
“When 40–50 people died in a stampede at the Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj, did they ask for UP CM Yogi Adityanath’s resignation? When a bridge collapsed during its inauguration killing 140 people, did they ask for the Prime Minister’s resignation?”
Background on the Incident
The Bengaluru stampede occurred on June 4 during a victory celebration for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) team, hosted by the Karnataka government on the grand steps of Vidhana Soudha, followed by an event at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. The overcrowding led to a stampede that claimed 11 lives and left dozens injured.
In response, the Karnataka government suspended senior police officials from the Cubbon Park Police Station and announced a judicial inquiry led by a retired High Court judge.
BJP’s Allegations
Earlier, Union Minister Pralhad Joshi demanded the resignation of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM DK Shivakumar, blaming them for “irresponsible and insensitive handling” of the crowd.
However, Siddaramaiah dismissed the demand as “hypocritical and politically motivated,” asserting that appropriate action is already being taken to investigate and address the tragedy.