Ramdas Athawale, the chief of the Republican Party of India (A) and a Union Minister, has aligned with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in calling for the resignation of Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy, DK Shivakumar. This demand follows a stampede at the Chinnaswamy stadium that resulted in 11 fatalities. Athawale criticized Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge for rejecting the BJP’s demand, highlighting that the Congress had previously made similar demands when a stampede occurred during the Mahakumbh. Athawale emphasized that it is the role of the opposition to call for resignations in such situations, comparing the current situation to Congress’s demand for the resignation of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath after the Mahakumbh stampede. He stated the government’s failure to manage the crowd led to the deaths and justified the call for the Chief Minister’s resignation. Siddaramaiah has dismissed the BJP’s demand, accusing the party of political maneuvering and questioning why the BJP did not demand the resignation of UP CM Yogi Adityanath after the Kumbh Mela stampede and during a bridge collapse that caused 140 deaths. The Karnataka government has suspended police officials and initiated a probe into the stadium incident.
