Bengaluru, Oct 13 — The BJP on Tuesday questioned the Congress over the alleged pushing away of Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar by security personnel of Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, during the chaos at a protest march in Delhi on Monday, questioning the respect accorded to a sitting Chief Minister by his own party leadership.
In a post on its official X handle, BJP4India shared a video of the incident and mocked Shivakumar, saying he arrived at the protest but “vanished like steam from a kettle”.
“That’s how Rahul Gandhi treats a sitting Chief Minister. No respect, no regard, just Congress-style humiliation,” the BJP said in its post.
Karnataka BJP President and MLA B.Y. Vijayendra also criticised the Congress leadership while sharing the video. He questioned the dignity and respect Shivakumar received from the party’s high command, despite holding the Chief Minister’s post.
“You may wander around the state saying whatever you please, but how much respect and dignity you receive in your high command’s corridor is a matter of public knowledge across the world!” Vijayendra said.
He added that whether Shivakumar was as indispensable to the Congress high command as he believed was not the BJP’s concern. However, he said that any insult to a Kannadiga occupying the Chief Minister’s chair was an issue concerning the pride of Kannadigas.
“Have you retained enough self-respect to make your high command aware of that?” Vijayendra asked, taking a dig at Shivakumar.
Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister G. Parameshwara, responding to questions from journalists in Bengaluru on Tuesday, said managing security arrangements during protests and large gatherings was challenging.
He said he had experienced similar situations while participating in protests in the past, adding that crowd control was not easy.
Parameshwara said ensuring LoP Rahul Gandhi’s security was the primary responsibility of the personnel deployed there and that preventing unauthorised access to him was part of the security protocol.
“Unfortunately, the Chief Minister also went there at that time, and he was pushed slightly amid the crowd,” he said.
He explained that although Shivakumar was entitled to protocol privileges as Chief Minister, security personnel prioritised the protection of the person they were assigned to guard, regardless of whether those approaching were Chief Ministers or other dignitaries.