CM encouraging moral policing: Siddu
MANGALURU: Congress Legislature Party leader Siddaramaiah on Saturday condemned the increase in moral policing incidents in coastal Karnataka, and that strict action be taken against the perpetrators.
Blaming state Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai for a rise in moral policing cases, Siddaramaiah said that the CM has been encouraging such acts by his statement that “every action will have a reaction”. “The job of the police is to maintain law and order and deal with miscreants. Interfering in law and order is condemnable,” the former chief minister said.
Since August this year, as many as eight cases of moral policing have been reported in the coastal region of the southern state. In early December, more than five incidents have been reported, leading to the arrest of many pro-Hindutva activists.
‘BJP twisting statement’
Reacting to Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president DK Shivakumar’s statement on the Mangaluru blast, Siddaramaiah said that Shivakumar had only claimed BJP was “misusing the cooker blast for political gains.”
“Did he (Shivakumar) say we support terrorism? Let the BJP act tough on terrorism and end it. What was the party doing over the last eight years?” Siddaramaiah said.
‘I’m a bigger Hindu than CT Ravi’
Speaking after participating in a mat Kabaddi tournament, Siddaramaiah said, “Communal agenda of the BJP should be defeated in the coastal region, and the Kabaddi tournament is a way to unite people. Congress has given a Constitution to the country and not BJP, who do their politics based on caste and religion. The youth should consider everyone as Indians first, but when I talk about the same, a bigot like CT Ravi calls me by the name of a Muslim ‘Siddaramulla Khan’. I am a bigger Hindu than CT Ravi but I am not a Hindu who hates other religions like he does.”
Siddaramaiah said that during the Congress regime, 7 kg of free rice used to be provided, which has been reduced to 5 kg now.
“Why did you stop that Mr Bommai? The Food Security Act was introduced by the then prime minister Manmohan Singh. They are all in the BJP government due to horse-trading. The people are discussing about 40 per cent commission,” he said.