On Monday, Karnataka BJP President and MLA B.Y. Vijayendra reiterated his criticism of Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge over his remarks regarding the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). He questioned whether the criticism stemmed from hatred, frustration, or immaturity.
Speaking at a press conference at the state BJP office in Bengaluru, Vijayendra referred to Minister Kharge’s criticism of the RSS and asked why Kalyana Karnataka, from where Minister Kharge and his father Mallikarjun Kharge hail, remains underdeveloped.
He noted that Mallikarjun Kharge is now the President of the Congress and has had significant political influence in Kalaburagi and Kalyana Karnataka for nearly 50 years.
Vijayendra stated that Minister Priyank Kharge has been serving his second term as a minister in the Karnataka-led Congress government.
Despite the Kharge family's extensive political experience and positions of power in Karnataka, Vijayendra questioned why Kalaburagi district continues to be one of the most backward in the state.
He asked, "Why does Kalyana Karnataka remain deprived of teachers and development?"
He further questioned, "Why is injustice being done to children? My own father and AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge raised this question in Kalaburagi last year. Can Minister Priyank Kharge explain why Kalyana Karnataka is so backward?"
In a Sunday event, Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge compared the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh to a demon and described the BJP as its shadow.
Minister Kharge said, "We (the Congress government) are fighting the shadow, and if we fight the demon (referring to the RSS) directly, the country will progress."
He also questioned why, if registration is mandatory for clubs and associations, the RSS should not also be brought under a similar requirement.
Vijayendra also said, "As a responsible Minister, Priyank Kharge should understand the RSS's 100-year history, its role in nation-building, and its commitment to social work, instead of making comments merely to gain media attention."
He added that discussions about a possible change of Chief Minister were underway and that he was unsure whether Minister Priyank Kharge was an aspirant.
Vijayendra also alleged that Minister Priyank Kharge was "acting blind despite having eyes and deaf despite having ears."
The State BJP President claimed that in the past two-and-a-half years, there was no record of Priyank Kharge holding press conferences about the department he heads or discussing its achievements and reforms.
Vijayendra also accused Priyank Kharge of speaking only on national and international issues.
He said that Priyank Kharge does not speak about why Secondary School Leaving Certificate (Class 10) and Pre-University Course (Class 12) results in Kalaburagi and Kalyana Karnataka are among the lowest, nor does Minister Priyank Kharge raise his voice on issues of health and development.
Vijayendra referred to a recent report by the Govind Rao Committee on regional imbalance submitted to the Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and asked whether Priyank Kharge had received and read a copy of it.
Citing the report, State BJP President said that 59 of the most backward taluks in Karnataka are located in Kalyana Karnataka and Kittur Karnataka regions.
He asked whether Priyank Kharge would discuss this issue in the Karnataka Assembly or address the media to bring it to public attention.
He alleged that the backwardness index in the region has risen from 65 per cent to 72.8 per cent.
He said that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had served five years as the Karnataka Chief Minister and that the Congress has been in power in the state for eight years, asking whether Priyank Kharge as a senior Cabinet member bore responsibility.
Vijayendra displayed a newspaper clip claiming that nine localities in Kalaburagi had not received drinking water for 12 days.
He alleged that Priyank Kharge, as district in-charge Minister, had not convened a district development meeting in the past two-and-a-half years.
He challenged Priyank Kharge to disclose how many Karnataka Development Programme meetings had been held, accusing him of making long speeches and spreading allegations instead of focusing on governance.
Referring to Priyank Kharge's remarks about Shivamogga (the native city from which B.Y. Vijayendra hails), the State BJP President challenged the former to debate the development of Kalyana Karnataka over the past 50 years compared to the development of Shivamogga during the previous BJP government led by former Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa.
He said that he was ready to discuss how much funding the BJP government had allocated to Kalaburagi district when Yediyurappa was the Karnataka Chief Minister.
Vijayendra said that Priyank Kharge had enjoyed long administrative experience and significant opportunities at a young age.
He suggested that Minister Priyank Kharge spend six months in Nagpur studying the RSS, and if he still disagreed, they could debate afterwards.
He said that if the Karnataka government had focused on development and effectively implemented its five poll guarantees, it would have conducted Zilla Panchayat and Taluk Panchayat elections by now.
Vijayendra accused the Karnataka government of lacking the courage to hold elections in the state and was engaging in empty political rhetoric.
Karnataka Legislative Council's Opposition Chief Whip N. Ravikumar, State BJP General Secretary N.S. Nandish Reddy, State Legislative Council member Shantaram Budna Siddi, and Chamarajanagar district BJP President and former party MLA Niranjan Kumar were present at the press conference.