Bengaluru, March 3 – BJP MLC C.T. Ravi alleged on Tuesday that the Congress party prioritizes political interests over national interests and criticized its stance on issues related to national security and foreign policy.
He stated that India, as a sovereign nation, makes decisions based on its national interest and in accordance with the demands of the situation.
He noted that the policy of non-alignment was a temporary approach adopted in a specific historical context and asserted that, on matters of national security, India takes necessary decisions from time to time in line with its strategic interests.
"For the Congress, political interest appears to be more important than national interest," he alleged.
Ravi further claimed that the Congress was primarily concerned about protecting its vote bank.
He alleged that the BJP does not adopt such an approach and maintained that there should not be different stands on national issues based on party or community lines.
Ravi expressed hope that the situation would become clearer after March 4, adding that two flights from Abu Dhabi and Dubai had already arrived in Bengaluru and that the situation was gradually stabilising.
The Ministry of External Affairs, he said, had advised against panic and shared the contact details of consulate offices for assistance.
He added that India had previously rescued citizens stranded in places such as Syria and parts of Africa, and reiterated that there was no need for concern.
On allegations of surveillance and phone tapping, Ravi said that a former Chief Minister and the Leader of the Opposition had made such claims and suggested that they must have had some clues or evidence to do so.
He said that tapping the phones of one’s own legislators might help understand their plans and could be seen as an attempt to safeguard the government and the chair.
He also questioned what steps were being taken to understand the people's sentiments.
The remarks come amid an ongoing political row in Karnataka over allegations of phone tapping and internal discord within the ruling party.