BJP showdown with Mahadayi activist in Gadag.

Hubballi: Veeresh Sobaradamath — one of the spearheads of the farmers’ protest for Mahadayi water — was attacked allegedly by BJP workers in Nargund town, Gadag, on Sunday. Sobaradamath was part of the agitation in front of the BJP office in Bengaluru more than a week ago.

 

The BJP denied the allegation. It said there was only an argument between Sobaradamath and party workers. Police also denied violence at the venue. The confrontation took place when Sobaradamath took the stage at an event to mark 900 days of the protest for Mahadayi water.

 

Sobaradamath’s close aide and Raitha Sena Karnataka state vicepresident Shankar Ambali told to media about 50 BJP workers came on stage. “The BJP workers argued with Sobaradamath. They roughed him up and beat him for protesting against BJP,” Ambali alleged.

 

The protest in Bengaluru had ended on a sour note, with farmers dismissing B S Yeddyurappa’s claims on Goa agreeing to water-sharing talks as less than convincing. They demanded that PM Modi intervene to solve the dispute between Karnataka, Goa and Maharashtra. The showdown came as an embarrassment to the BJP after it said it had made a breakthrough by getting Goa CM Manohar Parrikar to consider the demand.

 

Vasanna, a BJP worker, said no party worker had attacked Sobaradamath. “I am a farmer and was part of the protest. On Sunday, there was an argument between the party workers and Sobaradamath. Party workers asked him why the protest is staged only against BJP. There was chaos at the spot, but we tried to cool it down. However, there was no physical attack on Sobaradamath,” he said.

 

Gadag superintendent of police Santosh Babu denied reports of an attack on Sobaradamath. The SP told that police did not let any untoward incident happen. He admitted there was an argument between the two parties.