Cooker bomb blast: BJP lashes out at Cong for indulging in 'appeasement politics'

The BJP on Tuesday stepped up its attack on the ruling Congress, accusing it of indulging in ''appeasement politics'' after a special court sentenced the prime accused in the Mangaluru cooker bomb blast case to 10 years' rigorous imprisonment. Leader of Opposition in the Assembly R Ashoka targeted Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar and other Congress leaders, alleging that they had earlier downplayed the incident for political reasons. The party also shared Shivakumar's old video on 'X' reacting to the cooker blast, where he is heard saying, ''During that vote-seeking phase, apparently some cooker blast happened somewhere - it's being said. A blast in a cooker! Where was it, which cooker? In an auto? They're saying a terrorist had come. Where did this terrorist come from?'' In a post on 'X', Ashoka wrote, ''It is unfortunate for Karnataka that individuals driven by narrow political gains, who go as far as defending anti-national elements as 'brothers' for a handful of votes, are positioning themselves as contenders for the Chief Minister's post.'' Referring to earlier reactions to the blast, he said the Mangaluru cooker bomb blast was earlier dismissed as mere ''diversionary politics'' with Shivakumar and other leaders from the Indian National Congress appearing to downplay the seriousness of the incident. However, developments since then have brought clarity. Echoing similar sentiments, the BJP's Karnataka unit said in a separate post that Congress leaders who had mocked the incident as ''diversion politics'' were now confronted with the truth. ''In the same case, the acts of terrorist Shariq have been proven, and the NIA court has sentenced him to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment. Even in a serious matter like national security, the true face of the Congress, indulging in appeasement and vote-bank politics, has been exposed,'' it said. The party further alleged that electoral considerations were being prioritised over national security. ''For the Congress, vote-bank politics is more important than the nation's security. The party must at least now stop justifying extremists as their brothers,'' it added. A special court linked to the National Investigation Agency in Bengaluru on Monday sentenced the prime accused, Mohammed Shariq, to 10 years' rigorous imprisonment and imposed a total fine of Rs 94,000 in connection with the 2022 blast. According to the prosecution, Shariq was carrying a pressure cooker fitted with improvised explosive device (IED) in an autorickshaw and had allegedly planned to plant it at the Kadri Manjunatha Temple in Mangaluru to spread terror. The low-intensity device, however, accidentally exploded en route on November 19, 2022. Shariq, who initially claimed innocence, later pleaded guilty under Section 229 of the CrPC in December 2025, which the court accepted. The court convicted him under multiple provisions of the IPC, the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, and the Explosive Substances Act, awarding 10-year sentences on several counts, all to run concurrently. The court also imposed fines under various sections and directed that, in case of default, additional imprisonment ranging from one to six months would apply. It ordered that the period already spent in judicial custody be set off against the sentence, and that the recovered fine be used to defray prosecution expenses. In the same case, the judicial custody of the second accused has been extended till May 21, 2026, with directions to produce the individual via video conferencing on the next hearing date.

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