Kannada Outfits to Siege Vidhana Soudha to Pressurize Congress to Take Action Against Lakshmi Hebbalkar

Belagavi: Members of various Kannada outfits staged protests at Kittur Rani Chennamma circle in Belagavi town on Friday to condemn controversial statement of Karnataka Congress leader Lakshmi Hebbalkar favoring Maharashtra recently during a public speech in Marathi language at her constituency in Belagavi.

Hundreds of Kannada activists, leaders including Vatal Nagaraj and others took streets in the town after Congress party failed to take action against Hebbalkar for her controversial statement.

Leaders of Kannada outfits warned Congress party that they would siege Vidhana Soudha on September 5, if the party remains silent on the issue. The protesters urged Congress party to immediately dismiss her from the post of Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) Women’s Unit President.

Lakshmi Hebbalkar reportedly supported the merger of Belagavi with Maharashtra during a speech at Ganeshothsava Fest organised by a Marathi cultural organisation at her constituency in Belagavi on August 25.

Speaking in Marathi at the event, Hebbalkar reportedly said that, “Belagavi boarder issue is still pending before the Supreme Court. If Apex Court releases any order favoring Maharashtra to merge the district with it, then I support the court hoisting a flag representing the state of Maharashtra.”  The video of her Marathi speech gone viral on the internet and various pro Kannada outfits in Belagavi and around Karnataka condemned the statement.