BENGALURU: Higher Education Minister Dr CN Ashwath Narayan’s “finish off Siddaramaiah” remark created a furore in the Assembly on Thursday as the opposition Congress demanded action against the minister as well as an apology from him.
It all started when Congress MLA UT Khader raised the issue on hate speech during Zero Hour. During his speech, he said there has been hate speeches for the last many days at various places across the state. Pointing out to Minister Ashwath Narayan’s remark, Khader said the minister made the statement as he was not able to digest Siddaramiah’s popularity. “How can a minister say “finish off Siddaramaiah just like Tipu Sultan. These BJP leaders do not know history. We condemn his statement. Action should be taken against the minister as even the Supreme Court has said that in case of any hate speech, a case can be filed suo moto. If you take action against the minister, it will send a message to the entire society,” he said.
Even as the Congress members were demanding apology from the minister, Ashwath Narayan said he compared Siddaramiah with Tipu because of his love for him. “Tipu murdered hundreds of people. Congress is glorifying him which is not good. My statement of ‘finish off’ is to tell people not to vote for Congress and finish them in the polls. Personally, I do not have any differences with Siddaramaiah, but I regret what I said,” he said.
Also, during a heated argument, Speaker Vishveshwara Hegde Kageri slammed Congress MLA Eshwar Khandre when he refused to sit despite repeated orders. “People like you are a shame to the House”, Kageri told Khandre. “Should we come and tell your voters what kind of MLA they have voted and sent here,” he said. Irked by this, Khandre and other Congress MLAs created a ruckus.