BENGALURU: Assembly Opposition Leader Siddaramaiah on Monday said that divisive politics of BJP to polarise Hindus on communal lines will not work in Karnataka as people here are mature enough to realise the designs of the saffron party.
“Karnataka is not Uttar Pradesh, Manipur, Uttarakhand or Punjab. Karnataka is Karnataka. How long will you indulge in divisive politics ... Politics of religion? People will never forgive you (BJP),” he said.
He was speaking at a function in Bengaluru where former minister MB Patil was sworn-in as KPCC Campaign Committee Chairman. “Here there is a conflict between Manuvaada and manushyatva (humanity). Congress does not want to do politics over caste and religion. We are committed to humanity,” he said.
On murmurs of snap polls in Karnataka, Siddaramaiah called the BJP power hungry and will not dissolve the government to face early elections. “Are we not Hindus? Didn’t we read the Ramayana and Mahabharata? It was during the tenure of our PM Rajiv Gandhi that the great epics were telecast on TV... The message of struggle against evil forces is essential,” said D K Shivakumar.
He claimed that Congress abides by the Constitution and treats it on par with religious epics. “The BJP is playing negative politics over sensitive issues.... but we are for positive politics,” Patil said.
Congress will come back to power on its own by winning not less than 140 seats in the 2023 Assembly polls, MB Patil remarked The leaders on the dais asked party workers not to get disheartened by BJP’s recent victory in four states as Karnataka is a different ball game.
Leader of Opposition in the Council BK Hariprasad attacked the RSS and Sangh Parivar, saying they have not contributed to the freedom struggle.