Mahesh Tenginakai ‘harassed’ migrant workers, says Cong leader, slams police for inaction

Hubballi: Congress functionary Rajat Ullagaddimath has strongly condemned an incident in which MLA Mahesh Tenginakai allegedly forced hundreds of migrant workers travelling to other cities, including West Bengal, to sit on the ground and interrogated them in an inhumane manner at a bus stand in Hubballi.

Ullagaddimath termed it a shameful incident for society and alleged that the public representative behaved rudely with poor workers.

He also criticised the police officers present at the spot, alleging they failed to maintain law and order. “Instead of acting as per law, the police present at the scene completely succumbed to the MLA’s inhumane act. The extent to which they tried to pacify and appease one MLA reflects the complete degradation of today’s administrative system,” he said, condemning what he called the ‘spineless behaviour’ of the department.

Ullagaddimath questioned whether BJP MLAs would themselves take up work on Hubballi’s roads and industries. Alleging hypocrisy, he said, “If workers are treated this way, who will carry out the city’s development works? Who will build roads or toil in industries? Will MLA Tenginakai and BJP workers, who are indulging in politics for gain, come forward to do this hard work?”

He said the working class are the real builders of the country and alleged that neither MLAs nor the BJP have any right to insult or oppress them, while strongly criticising both the MLA and the police department.