Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah addressed concerns on Sunday regarding the Rameshwaram Café blast case in Bengaluru.
The incident, which occurred on March 1, resulted in 10 injuries, prompted the Central Crime Branch (CCB) to initiate an investigation.
Responding to the BJP's demand for a National Investigation Agency (NIA) probe, Siddaramaiah stated, "We will see. The investigation has begun just now. No accused has been arrested yet. We will see if the need arises (for NIA investigation)."
Amid the BJP's criticism that Bengaluru has turned into "Bomb Bengaluru" instead of "Brand Bengaluru", Siddaramaiah countered by highlighting past bomb blasts during the BJP's tenure.
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He questioned, "What should we call it when there were four bomb blasts during the BJP’s tenure? Who was ruling when the Mangaluru cooker blast took place? Who is in charge of NIA, IB? It’s not their failure."
Despite condemning the bomb blast, Siddaramaiah cautioned against politicizing the incident, stating, "I am not supporting the bomb blast. I am condemning it, but BJP should not do politics over it."
Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar also criticized the BJP for exploiting the situation for political gains, accusing them of tarnishing Karnataka's image.
The BJP accused the Congress government of transforming Bengaluru into 'Bomb Bengaluru' and posted a poster reading, "They said ‘Brand Bengaluru’. They made it ‘Bomb Bengaluru’."
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State president B Y Vijayendra linked the recent blast to a 'Pakistan Zindabad' slogan shouted inside Vidhana Soudha on February 27.
He claimed to have information about the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) report on the slogan but alleged that the government was attempting to cover it up.
Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar dismissed the BJP's accusations, urging them to consider national unity and peace during such critical times.
Despite assuring a thorough investigation into the blast, the political rhetoric surrounding the incident continues to escalate in Karnataka.
