Bengaluru

Opposition BJP and JD(S) staged a protest in front of Mahatma Gandhi statue at Vidhana Soudha here on Tuesday, demanding the suspension of some Congress legislators for allegedly "insulting and disrespecting" Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot during the joint sitting of the state legislature.

Raising anti-Congress government slogans, the protesters demanded justice.

They also demanded the removal of Excise Minister R B Timmapur over the alleged Excise Department scam, law and order failures and inadequate security for women in the state.

Leaders of the Opposition both in the Assembly and Council -- R Ashoka and Chalavadi Narayanaswamy, state BJP chief B Y Vijayendra, BJP MLC C T Ravi, JD(S) leaders Suresh Babu and S L Bhojegowda, along with MLAs and MLCs of both parties were part of the protest.

Speaking to media here, BJP State President Vijayendra demanded that a thorough investigation must be conducted into the excise scam involving more than Rs 6,000 crore. The probe should be carried out either by a sitting High Court judge or by the CBI, he added.

Vijayendra alleged that the entire country has witnessed Congress "goons" behaving in a hooligan-like manner towards the Governor inside the House.

Condemning the insult and alleged misconduct shown towards the Governor during the joint session, he said, "The (Congress) government is now trying to justify those actions."

In a high drama in the Karnataka Assembly, the Governor on January 22 refused to read the state-prepared address to a joint session of the state legislature and concluded his customary speech in just three lines, evoking a sharp reaction from the Congress government in the state.

As the Governor proceeded towards the exit door after concluding his three line speech, some ruling party legislators, including MLC Hariprasad, tried to gherao him by shouting slogans. They were removed by the security staff.

Vijayendra claimed that Timmapur's name has surfaced in the excise scam and that even members of the minister's family are being mentioned. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is not allowing a discussion on the issue in the Assembly, he said.

Ashoka claimed that under the Congress government, there is widespread corruption in the Excise Department.

"Every single license requires bribes running into crores. Since the chief minister is also benefiting from this racket, even complaints made to him have received no response. The CM must immediately ensure the resignation of the corrupt Excise Minister; otherwise, our protest will be directed against the chief minister himself," he added.

Narayanaswamy too attacked the Congress government in the state over the excise scam and alleged, "If Rs 6,000 crore has been looted, the Congress must answer what share Siddaramaiah, D K Shivakumar, Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Kharge have in it."

"The agitation has already begun and there is no question of pardoning Minister Timmapur. We will not leave the House until he resigns," he told reporters here.

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There was no immediate response from the Congress over the allegations.

Koppal Congress MP Rajashekar Basavaraj Hitnal's alleged statement terming the rape and murder of a foreign woman as a minor incident, Congress' false propaganda and protest against central government's new employment guarantee law VB G RAM G, were also among the issues that were highlighted during the protest.