Mahadangal: Bengaluru Stampede Sparks Political War Between BJP and Congress | ABP NEWS

In a heated debate on ABP News’ Mahadangal, BJP spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari launched a scathing attack on the Karnataka Congress government over the tragic stampede outside Bengaluru’s Chinnaswamy Stadium, which killed 11 and injured 56. Accusing the state government of insensitivity, Bhandari said, “The colony was burning, but the government was celebrating.” He questioned why the celebration wasn’t halted despite early police warnings about crowd control failure. Bhandari raised specific points: why were only 3 out of 21 gates opened, why was VIP security prioritized for ministers like Zameer Ahmad while the public was neglected, and why weren’t sufficient ambulances deployed? He demanded accountability from CM Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM D.K. Shivakumar, accusing them of choosing a photo-op over crisis response. Congress representative Sadhana Bharti defended the government, expressing condolences and emphasizing that medical aid and ₹10 lakh compensation were announced. She claimed the event was organized primarily by RCB and BCCI, not the state, but admitted the government had a participatory role. The Karnataka High Court has taken suo motu cognizance. As political blame-shifting continues, the central question remains: why did the celebration go on while citizens died outside?