The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike Council meeting witnessed high drama on Monday with three women corporators making serious allegations against a Congress MLA and film producer, Munirathna Naidu.
Asha Suresh, Mamata Vasudev and Manjula Narayanaswamy, belong to Congress, BJP and JD(S) parties respectively. Soon after the Palike’s Council meeting began, the three women corporators said that they were “fed up with the interference of local MLA Munirathna Naidu.”
However, Mayor G Padmavathi did not allow them to continue. This led to a heated argument between the Mayor and the JD(S) MLC TA Saravana.
Disappointed with the Mayor’s refusal to discuss the harassment issue, the women corporators rushed to the well of the Council and attempted to consume phenol.
This attempt was stopped as other corporators snatched the phenol bottles away from them. The corporators then pacified the agitated women corporators, after which they resumed their seats in the council.
However, the Mayor did not allow them to raise the complaints in the council, and promised them that she would discuss the issue later.
The women’s allegations, however, are extremely serious.
Speaking to TNM, Laggere ward corporator Manjula Narayanaswamy said, “It is not easy to deal with MLA Munirathna Naidu’s harassment. He always encourages his supporters to attack me. On May 19, his supporters pulled my saree in public, in the presence of Chief Minister.”
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah was delivering a speech after laying the foundation stone for remodeling of the storm water drain (SWD) at Rakshasahalli in Raja Rajeswari Nagar Assembly constituency, which is represented by Munirathna Naidu, a Congress leader, when the incident allegedly occurred.
“I was shocked when they pulled my saree and tried to disrobe me in public. What was more shocking and sad is that no one stopped them or even tried to help me, when women supporters of Munirathna assaulted me. The safety of women corporators is in danger in Raja Rajeswari Assembly constituency,” the JD(S) corporator said.
Both Asha Suresh, the HMT ward corporator who belongs to Congress, and Mamata Vasudev, a BJP corporator, said that Munirathna does not allow them to carry out developmental works in their wards.
While TNM tried to contact MLA Munirathna, he was unavailable for comment.
On May 25, the three women corporators met Adichunchanagiri seer and complained against MLA Munirathna as well.