BJP blames Cong for communal tensions, party hits back

Reacting to Eshwarappa’s statements, the leader of opposition Siddaramaiah said: “It’s like they (BJP) have jaundice (disease) to lie about the Congress to console themselves and then blame us for all the problems,” .

Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader KS Eshwarappa on Wednesday blamed the Congress for “adding to the communal tensions in the state” by maintaining silence over the growing crimes being committed by the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI).

Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader KS Eshwarappa on Wednesday blamed the Congress for “adding to the communal tensions in the state” (HT Photo)

“The person who took down the poster of freedom fighter Veer Savarkar was an SDPI worker who is the husband of a Congress corporator from Shivamogga. The Congress adds to communal tensions and then blames the BJP. Congress is behind this (tensions in Shivamogga) and they are not even condemning it,” Eshwarappa said.

There have been several cases reported from across the state in which Muslim groups took down posters of Hindutva ideologue Vinayak Damodar Savarkar and pro-HIndu groups removed posters of Tipu Sultan a day before the Independence Day.

The Karnataka Police on Monday had to resort to lathi-charge and impose Section 144 of the CrPC in Shivamogga district until further orders after a group of people reportedly tried to remove banners of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar and replace them with Tipu Sultan’s pictures, leading to clashes between groups of two faiths.

Reacting to Eshwarappa’s statements, the leader of opposition Siddaramaiah said: “It’s like they (BJP) have jaundice (disease) to lie about the Congress to console themselves and then blame us for all the problems,” .

“If there is proper evidence that PFI, SDPI are destroying the harmony of the society and causing riots, let the @BJP4Karnataka government ban such organizations. You have the government both at the state and union. Why are you silent though?” he added.