Former Chief Minister and Janata Dal (Secular) leader H.D. Kumaraswamy said here on Thursday that the Government’s administrative incompetence led to the hijab issue engulfing the entire State.
He told mediapersons that the Government let a minor incident to snowball due to its inept handling and spread across the State as it was its intention to polarise the society for political gains.
It allowed the issue to gain traction to cover its administrative failure and though the BJP may not have direct involvement the other right wing affiliates have played a part in politicising it, said Mr. Kumaraswamy.
He expressed concern that innocent students had become pawns in the hands of political parties and said that all those arrested for campus violence were children coming from middle and low income groups and their parents were not political leaders.
‘’None of the students who have been arrested are children of Congress or BJP leaders and it is time the student community realises it’’, Mr. Kumaraswamy added.
On elections
On the future course of JD(S) in the run up to the Assembly elections in the State, Mr. Kumaraswamy said they have decided against fielding Anitha Kumaraswamy as the party was being defamed for promoting family politics and nepotism.
However, a final decision will be taken once the polls to the State are announced, he added.
In a reply to a question, Mr. Kumaraswamy said he had fielded his son Nikhil under duress from party leaders though he was personally against it.