Mangaluru, Aug 19: Condemning the protests by Sangh Parivar activists against former CM Siddaramaiah in Kodagu and Chikkamagaluru districts, Deputy Leader of Opposition in Karnataka Assembly U T Khader has come down heavily on the ruling BJP of Karnataka and the police department.
Addressing the press in Mangaluru, Mr Khader, who is also Mangaluru MLA, alleged that the government was attempting to suppress the voice of opposition leaders by sponsoring such protests.
Khader accused the government of failing to take stringent action against those who tried to create unrest in society. He went on to say that the police have become puppets in the hands of the BJP.
"The Opposition leader is considered a shadow chief minister. It is the duty of the opposition leader to listen to the woes of people in distress and awaken the government for its negligence. Several people were affected by recent rain in Kodagu. Inspite of the Chief Minister’s visit, relief has failed to reach the rain victims," he alleged.
Should opposition not raise their voices when the government fails to discharge its duty, he asked. The act of the BJP workers cannot be justified and has revealed the mindset of the party, the Congress leader said, adding that this act is against democratic values.
“If a banner/flex is mounted with good intention by taking permission from authorities concerned, then none will object to it or ask authorities to remove it. Intention of those who mounted the banner is also important. None had asked to remove the flex on Savarkar mounted in Mangaluru constituency. The police only removed it,” Khader said.
To a query on Veer Savarkar, Khader said, “Congress has only ideological differences with Savarkar. We never said Savarkar was not a freedom fighter. All are well aware that Savarkar was imprisoned in Andaman along with others. Savarkar had begged the British for mercy and was released later. After 1924, he did not take part in the freedom struggle,” he said.
“Should we consider those who had laid down their lives as patriots or the one who begged for mercy as patriots?” he asked.
Khader said that the BJP is scared of Congress and is worried that it will not come back to power in the state. As a result, they are supporting those acts that aim at creating unrest in the state, he alleged.
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