Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday questioned why bomb blasts often occur during elections, saying the central government must explain the timing of such incidents. He was responding to reporters’ questions about the recent explosion near Delhi’s Red Fort while addressing the media after chairing a Karnataka Development Programme (KDP) meeting in Mysuru.
“The Centre must answer why such blasts occur during elections. Let the central government investigate and respond. Such incidents are tragic, the loss of innocent lives is deeply unfortunate,” Siddaramaiah said.
When asked if India was turning into a country defined by one religion, he firmly replied, “India is a constitutionally pluralistic country, not a single-religion nation.”
The blast near Red Fort on Monday evening killed at least eight people and injured several others. The explosion, which ripped through a parked car near Gate No. 1 of the Red Fort Metro Station, set several vehicles on fire and shattered windows in the area. Eyewitnesses said the explosion was so powerful that it “felt like the Earth caving in.”
The incident came just a day after Jammu and Kashmir Police uncovered a large inter-state terror module linked to Jaish-e-Mohammad and Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind. Police said they had recovered nearly 2,900 kg of explosives, weapons, and other materials from Faridabad, near Delhi, and arrested seven suspects.
Siddaramaiah also said he would travel to Delhi on November 15 to attend senior leader Kapil Sibal’s event, adding that he might meet the party high command if granted permission.
Discussing law and order in Karnataka, the Chief Minister said organised crimes could not happen without the involvement of police officers. “If crime rates increase, the officers themselves will be held responsible. I’ve instructed that Mysuru be made a drug-free district,” he said.
He also mentioned how transferring just two officers in Mangaluru had restored peace after recent communal clashes. “If two officers can make such a difference there, it can happen elsewhere too. Police officers must act professionally and with commitment,” he added.
The Chief Minister directed district officials to speed up pending cases, noting that Mysuru had cleared most of its 8,000 backlog cases in the past two years. “Taluk-level officials must stay at their headquarters and serve the public. Citizens should not be made to run from office to office,” he said.
Siddaramaiah also expressed dissatisfaction over Mysuru’s declining education index, which has fallen from 7th to 14th place. “This is unacceptable. Development in Mysuru must accelerate,” he said, urging officers to ensure better governance and faster progress in his home district.
