Mandya: Members of the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) staged a protest in Mandya on Tuesday, demanding the immediate dismissal of Srirangapatna MLA Ramesh Bandisiddegowda for his controversial remarks during a recent public event in Mahadevpura village of Srirangapatna taluk. The protesters accused the Congress MLA of making communal statements that undermine the Constitution and secular principles. Addressing the protest, SDPI state president Abdul Majeed said, “If chief minister Siddaramaiah truly upholds secular values and the Constitution, he must take strict action against the MLA, who appears to reflect a mindset aligned with the BJP and RSS. His words reveal his true intentions. When he took the oath at the Vidhana Soudha, he pledged to abide by the Constitution and uphold equality, but his recent behaviour is in clear violation of that promise. He must be removed from both the party and the legislature.”Responding to the controversy, the Congress legislator told TOI that there were multiple complaints from local farmers that affluent individuals from Mysuru, particularly from the Muslim community, were encroaching govt land in the Kasaba Hobli region. “Based on these concerns, I only advised the officials to be vigilant. If my remarks have hurt anyone’s sentiments, I sincerely apologise. I had no intention to offend anybody,” he stated.
