Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah on Sunday downplayed the Bharatiya Janata Party’s plan to take out a march protesting the recent violence in Ballari, saying the opposition was free to demonstrate but questioning the political intent behind the move.

Responding to queries about the BJP’s proposed padayatra, Siddaramaiah remarked, “Let them do what they said they should not,” indicating that the party was contradicting its own earlier positions on protest politics.

Banner Removal Triggered Clashes, Says CM

The chief minister attributed the violence in Ballari to the removal of banners put up in connection with the unveiling of a statue of Maharshi Valmiki, calling it an unnecessary provocation.

“Removing the banner instigated the incident,” Siddaramaiah said, questioning why the banners were taken down in the first place. He accused former ministers G Janardhana Reddy and B Sriramulu of acting out of political jealousy, alleging that they were unhappy about no longer wielding influence in the region.

Background of the Violence

Violence broke out in Ballari city on January 1 following a dispute over the installation of a political banner near the residence of BJP MLA G Janardhana Reddy. The confrontation escalated into stone-pelting and firing between supporters of Janardhana Reddy and those aligned with Congress MLA Nara Bharath Reddy.

Police said they have arrested 26 people in connection with multiple incidents linked to the dispute. “Based on evidence collected during the investigation, including witness statements and video footage, police traced and arrested 26 accused and produced them in court,” police said in a statement.

Earlier, home minister G Parameshwara said the government was considering handing over the case to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID). This came a day after police detained Baljit Singh and Gurucharan Singh, identified by officers as a private gunman whose revolver was allegedly used during the firing.

Siddaramaiah Recalls Congress’s Earlier Padayatra

Siddaramaiah also questioned the BJP’s decision to organise a padayatra from Ballari to Bengaluru on January 17, recalling a similar march undertaken by the Congress more than a decade ago.

He said the Congress had carried out a 320-kilometre padayatra from Bengaluru to Ballari in August 2010 to highlight illegal mining and corruption under the then BJP government. At the time, a Lokayukta report by Justice Santosh Hegde had described Ballari as a “Republic of Ballari,” citing rampant illegal mining.

“When I raised it in the Assembly, the Reddy brothers and Yediyurappa objected, so I led a padayatre to Ballari,” Siddaramaiah said. He added that the Congress had launched the march under the banner “Ballari Chalo” after accepting a challenge thrown by Janardhana Reddy, Karunakara Reddy and their associate B Sriramulu.

BJP Hits Back

The BJP, however, has accused the Congress government of failing to maintain law and order in the state. In Mysuru, Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly R Ashoka announced that the party would hold a “massive protest rally” in Ballari on January 17 to condemn the violence.

“The unrest in Ballari is a systematic conspiracy carried out against MLA Janardhana Reddy, which his opponents could not tolerate after his return to the BJP,” Ashoka alleged at a press conference.

He also said the BJP would organise similar programmes across Karnataka, including a conference in Mysuru on January 31 to protest what the party claims is the government’s failure to curb the drug network, and another in Hubballi targeting alleged irregularities in the Grihalakshmi welfare scheme.

The political sparring over the Ballari violence is expected to intensify in the coming days as both parties prepare for parallel protest programmes across the state.