The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Janata Dal(Secular) continued their protest at the Vidhana Soudha, demanding the resignation of Excise Minister R.B. Thimmapur over an alleged excise scam. Legislators from both parties spent the night inside the Assembly, with some leaders taking a morning walk on the premises.
BJP State President, B.Y. Vijayendra, Leader of Opposition, R. Ashoka, and JD(S) floor leader, C.B. Suresh Babu, held a joint press conference in Bengaluru to announce the protest. They displayed posters inside the Assembly alleging a Rs 6,000-crore scam in the Excise Department.
The legislators, after singing devotional songs and sleeping on the Assembly floor, regrouped to discuss their next steps. They resumed the protest by sitting on the entry steps of the Assembly, chanting slogans for the Excise Minister’s resignation. BJP MLA Channabasappa sang a devotional song, joined by other legislators including Vijayendra and Ashoka.
After addressing the media, Ashoka claimed a massive scam in the Excise Department, alleging monthly collections of Rs 250-300 crore by the Minister. He mentioned an audio recording implicating the Deputy Commissioner in corrupt practices. The protest is set to continue until the Excise Minister resigns, with threats to implicate the Chief Minister if the demand is not met.
