Dharwad: A disruption during the Samudaya-50 celebration in Dharwad Sunday sparked a political slugfest CPM leaders and left-leaning writers accusing BJP and RSS activists of orchestrating the disturbance and deputy leader of opposition in assembly Arvind Bellad alleging that police acted in a biased manner by targeting Hindu activists.
In a joint statement, CPM leaders and progressive writers alleged that BJP, RSS, ABVP and other Hindu outfit activists deliberately created unrest during the cultural programme at Karnataka Vidyavardhaka Sangha, where actor Prakash Raj was invited to deliver the valedictory address.
Describing the incident as an attack on democratic and cultural values, the statement said the organisers and police repeatedly appealed to the protesters to maintain peace, but they refused to cooperate. The writers and CPM leaders said the programme was dedicated to the memory of slain scholar MM Kalburgi on the 11th anniversary of his assassination and alleged that the disturbance was not a coincidence. It added that organisers and speakers appealed to the audience to forgive the youths, saying they had been misled rather than respond with hatred.
The CPM leaders and progressive writers also alleged that Bellad defended those who disrupted the programme.