Bengaluru: In a dramatic escalation of political tensions, Congress workers staged a protest at Gandhi Bhavan in Bengaluru on Friday, calling for the resignation of Union Minister Pralhad Joshi following an FIR filed against his family members. The protestors are demanding not only Joshi’s dismissal from the Union Cabinet but also the arrest of his relatives implicated in the case.
“The demand is clear: Pralhad Joshi must resign,” asserted the Congress protestors. “The FIR alleges that his family members solicited ₹2 crore in exchange for a BJP ticket. While the BJP has frequently criticized leaders like Siddaramaiah and the Congress party, the current situation raises serious questions about their silence. The FIR explicitly mentions Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi—what message are they sending to the nation?”
Home Minister G. Parmeshwara responded to the situation, stating that some of the accused have already been arrested while authorities are actively searching for Gopal Joshi, Pralhad Joshi’s brother. “Once Gopal Joshi is apprehended, we will gain further insights into his involvement,” he said. “He is currently absconding. The investigation will determine the extent of involvement among the accused.”
The allegations stem from a complaint filed by Sunita Chauhan against Pralhad Joshi’s brother, Gopal Joshi, his sister, Vijayalakshmi, and Gopal Joshi’s son, Ajay Joshi. They are accused of leveraging Pralhad Joshi’s influence to promise a BJP ticket to Sunita Chauhan’s husband, Devananda Pul Singh Chouhan, during the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
The FIR was officially registered at 5 p.m. on Thursday at the Basaveshwar Nagar police station, intensifying scrutiny on Joshi’s family and prompting further political fallout.
