Bengaluru, April 7 – The Karnataka unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has criticised Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge over his alleged remarks about "killing BJP and RSS workers" in Assam, and said that terrorists appear as angels to the Congress.
Commenting on the issue, Leader of the Opposition and veteran BJP leader R. Ashoka, on Tuesday, asked, "Mallikarjun Kharge should tell us who planted the cooker bomb in Mangaluru. To these people, terrorists appear as angels. They don't utter a single word against Maoists."
"They (Congress) only criticise the BJP and RSS. Now, venomous snakes are being unleashed in all the states. We need to drive out these snakes from three more states. The people will decide who the real snakes are. Even his son, Priyank Kharge, is encouraging him to make such statements," Ashoka said.
BJP MLA S. Muniraju has said that a complaint has been filed against Congress President Kharge for making objectionable remarks against the BJP and the RSS, and has demanded his arrest.
He alleged that during an election speech in Assam on Monday, the Congress President said, "If a venomous snake appears while offering prayers, you should stop praying and kill it; if members of the BJP or RSS appear while offering prayers, you should stop praying and kill them; this is mentioned in the Quran."
Muniraju criticised Kharge's statement, calling it inflammatory and capable of inciting violence.
He warned that such remarks could lead to communal unrest and said they amounted to support for anti-national and fundamentalist elements.
He added that a Karnataka BJP delegation, including himself, district president Harish, MLA and district president C.K. Ramamurthy, and leader Prakash, met Karnataka Director General of Police (DGP) M.A. Saleem and submitted a complaint in this regard.
Muniraju said the State DGP has assured that the matter will be thoroughly examined and appropriate action will be taken.
He termed Kharge's remarks as "anti-national" and reiterated the demand for the Congress President's arrest.
BJP MLA C.K. Ramamurthy, speaking on the occasion, said Kharge's statement was against the Constitution and urged authorities to take action against him.
Earlier, the Karnataka BJP delegation lodged a formal complaint against Congress President Kharge with the State Director General, alleging that he made a provocative speech during an election campaign in Assam.
In their submission, the BJP leaders demanded the immediate arrest of Kharge for allegedly inciting violence and called for enhanced security arrangements to ensure the safety of BJP workers.