BENGALURU: Former chief minister Siddaramaiah’s suggestion made to CM BS Yediyurappa a couple of days ago that the RSS and its outfits were involved in communal riots and that they must be made to pay has invoked a sharp reaction from state BJP president Nalin Kumar Kateel, who said Siddaramaiah has to prove the involvement of RSS or tender an apology.
Kateel said the involvement of RSS or its affiliates has never been proved in any court or by any investigating agency. Kateel alleged that the Congress is a party of minority appeasement and vote bank politics.
Siddaramaiah responded, saying, “Do you remember that your party had become a laughing stock when you had included a living person, Ashok Pujari, in the list sent to the central government about people murdered during my tenure from 2013 to 2018?”
He said, “You may be both intellectually and emotionally bankrupt and continue to light communal fires for political gains, but true Hindus are intelligent enough to see through your acts of treason.
Your best friend Naresh Shenoy is the main accused in the murder of Hindu RTI activist Vinayaka Baliga. When will you ensure justice is delivered in this case? You said 24 Hindus were killed in communal violence during 2013-2018, but actually it is 45 if we include Hindus and Muslims.’’