Yeddyurappa wants IPL semis in Bangalore, assures security

BANGALORE - Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa late Sunday appealed to Indian Premier League (IPL) organisers to reverse the decision to shift the two semi-finals from Bangalore to Navi Mumbai following the two blasts near the M. Chinnaswamy stadium here Saturday and recovery of two more bombs Sunday.

“We will talk to them to hold the matches,” he told reporters after meeting senior civil and police officials to discuss the security situation in the city in the light of the two explosions and the IPL decision to move the April 21 and April 22 semi-finals from Bangalore to Navi Mumbai.

Chief Secretary S.V. Ranganath, state police chief Ajay Kumar Singh, Bangalore city Police Commissioner Shankar Bidari and senior state home ministry officials and police officers attended the meeting.

“We had provided full security to the match Saturday and assure that all security measures needed for the semi-finals will be provided,” Yeddyurappa said.

“The government will not allow anyone to disturb peace in Bangalore,” he added.

Ahead of the meeting, Bidari described as “unfair” the IPL decision to move the semi-finals to Navi Mumbai.

The decision has been taken on “baseless and false presumption”, he said in a statement.

“If they don’t revise the decision to shift, I am afraid the BCCI will be committing a serious mistake and will be besmirching the fair name of a secure city like Bangalore,” Bidari said.

“We will take full and complete responsibility for the security. I appeal to the BCCI to consult IPL security officials, security consultants of foreign teams, Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) president and secretary and reverse the decision to shift the semi-final matches to Navi Mumbai,” Bidari said.