CM Siddaramaiah warns BJP not to stir up communal tensions across state

MYSURU: Chief minister Siddaramaiah on Friday accused the Bharatiya Jantha Party (BJP) of dividing the society along religious and emotional lines to derive political mileage. Likening BJP to a scissor and Congress to a needle, he said that while BJP was carrying a 'scissor to divide society', Congress was a needle 'stitching society along the lin

Speaking to reporters on Friday, he said that the state would not allow BJP to stir up communal tensions. He criticized the state BJP president B S Yeddyurappa for his remarks that the state would "boil" if RSS leader Kaladka Prabhakar Bhat is arrested.

Also, criticizing the remarks of BJP leaders following communal unrests in parts of Dakshina Kannada district, he said their statements have proved that their party lacks political maturity. "Why should they be apprehensive of Prabhakar's arrest when the government has not thought of it?" he asked.

Defending Forest and Ecology minister Ramanth Rai's directions to police officers to act against people taking the law into their hands, he said that if BJP and JD(S) were more concerned about establishing peace, they should have attended the peace meeting chaired by him.

He said that government has not withdrawn cases against Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) and Popular Front of India (PFI) activists and have directed the police to keep a vigil on activities of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), Bajrang Dal, Srirama Sene, PFI and SDPI activists.

Talking to reporters, Siddaramaiah also clarified that he has not deputed corruption-tainted Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) Kempaiah to monitor the situation in Mangaluru. He slammed BJP for making baseless claims. "I have deputed a Director General of Police, two ADGP's, IG and officers who have worked in that region with directions to ensure that Dakshina Kannada district is normal again'," he added.

He also came down heavily on Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industries, Nirmala Sitharaman for accusing that lawlessness has hit investments in Karnataka. He said, she must have referred to states like Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh and not to Karnataka where law and order are under control.