A recent celebration hosted by Chikkaballapur BJP MP K Sudhakar to mark his Lok Sabha win has raised eyebrows, with visuals from the event showing long queues of people eagerly awaiting their share of liquor bottles. The event, which included the distribution of alcohol and food, was organised in Bavikere village near Nelamangala on agricultural land belonging to former minister and JD(S) leader HD Revanna, as reported by The Times of India.
#WATCH | Nelamangala, Karnataka: People queue up to receive their bottle of alcohol at the party organised by Chikkaballapur BJP MP K Sudhakar in celebration of his Lok Sabha win from the constituency
Bengaluru Rural SP CK Baba says, “The excise department gave permission and… pic.twitter.com/Wu0W9uSNl0
— ANI (@ANI) July 8, 2024
Notably, Sudhakar had preemptively written to the local police, requesting deployment for crowd management. The letter explicitly stated that food and liquor would be served, raising questions about the authorities’ decision to permit the event and deploy police personnel, NDTV reported.
According to news agency ANI, Bengaluru Rural Superintendent of Police CK Baba informed about the permission given saying, “The excise department gave permission and the police were instructed to take care of the arrangements. There is no fault of the police department in this; it is the responsibility of the excise department for providing the permission.”
The celebration saw the distribution of 150 cases of beer and 50 cases of whisky, along with a non-vegetarian meal, according to sources cited by TOI’s report. Several prominent leaders, including R Ashoka, leader of the opposition, Sudhakar, and legislator Deeraj Muniraju, were in attendance. A BJP functionary stated that the liquor was distributed to “keep voters happy”, the report stated.
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Karnataka Deputy CM DK Shivakumar Demands BJP Chief Nadda’s Clarification
Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister and Congres’s state unit chief DK Shivakumar demanded a response from BJP national president JP Nadda, stating, “I don’t want the local leaders to… I want the BJP national president to issue a clarification. This is the culture of the BJP”, as per NDTV. When questioned about potential actions under the state excise policy, Shivakumar added, “That is the next point. First, let the party answer.”
According to NDTV, former minister and BJP MLA CN Ashwath Narayan said, “We can’t blame anybody unless this is properly looked into. If there is a system, the government would have fixed responsibility. If the government feels whatever has happened (is wrong), let them take action.”
