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Shah takes stock of state politics, pulls up K’taka home min over recent murders
Shah also sought information on the requests for the National Investigation Agency probe into BJP Yuva Morcha worker Praveen Nettaru’s murder on July 26 in Bellare in Dakshina Kannada district.
Union home minister Amit Shah on Thursday reportedly pulled up the state home department and minister Araga Jnanendra over the recent communal murders in Karnataka’s Dakshina Kannada, showing the Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled state in poor light, party leaders privy to the development said on the condition of anonymity.
“(We) cannot share everything in front of you but he has sought detailed information. Instead of saying that he (Shah) demanded an explanation, we can say that he sought information,” Jnanendra said, refusing to divulge more from the meeting.
Shah also sought information on the requests for the National Investigation Agency (NIA) probe into BJP Yuva Morcha (BJYM) worker Praveen Nettaru’s murder on July 26 in Bellare in Dakshina Kannada district.
Three murders between July 19 to 28 in the communally sensitive coastal region of the state rocked Karnataka last month.
Nettaru’s murder led to a massive outrage by the BJP’s youth wing against its own party and government, demanding that Jnanendra and Karnataka chief minister Basavaraj Bommai be replaced for not doing enough to provide security to its own people.
On Thursday, Bommai, former chief minister BS Yediyurappa, industries and home department ministers among others from the state government met the Union home minister, in which they were reportedly asked to get details in connection with the party, recent murders, investments and other areas, at least two people aware of the developments said.
Shah arrived in Bengaluru late on Wednesday night, attended two events on Thursday and met with the state leadership, one of the two people cited above said, wishing not to be named.
“Yediyurappa had tiffin (breakfast) with Amit Shah in the morning and they spent around 20 minutes together. The former chief minister appraised the Union home minister on political developments, including the strengthening of the organisation, the turnout on Congress leader Siddaramaiah’s birthday celebrations, the possibility of Bengaluru city corporation elections and other issues,” said the person cited above.
The meeting comes on a day after the Congress saw record turnouts for the 75th birthday celebrations of former chief minister Siddaramaiah in Davangere as a show of strength by the latter to pressure its own party high command to declare him as the face of the 2023 assembly elections.
Though the entire Congress event in which Rahul Gandhi participated was an attempt by Siddaramaiah and his loyalists to corner their own party president, DK Shivakumar, the impact of the turnout has got the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) a little worried, said a person in the know of the developments.
Shah also met BJP state president Nalin Kumar Kateel, national general secretary CT Ravi and Rajesh GV, the newly appointed general secretary (organisation) of the local unit among others.
Kateel’s term as BJP state president ended on August 3 after nearly three years in office and he is unlikely to continue with his post with elections scheduled to be held next year. He has reportedly cited ill health as a reason to not continue.
“The chief minister also discussed the cabinet expansion with Shah. Bommai will go to Delhi on August 6 and it is possible that the list will be finalised there,” said the second person cited above, requesting anonymity.
