Former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy on Wednesday came down on Home Minister Araga Jnanendra for his ‘communally provocative’ statements on the incident involving road rage in Bengaluru.
Speaking to reporters in Mysuru, Mr. Kumaraswamy said the Home Minister had retracted his original statement that the victim was attacked because he did not know Urdu to later clarify that the crime took place over road rage.
One youth was stabbed to death in Bengaluru in a road rage case reported on Tuesday.
The JD(S) leader, who was in Mysuru, also wondered over the reason for the Home Minister to give a graphic description of the crime even before a proper investigation had been conducted. Clearly, he said the Home Minister’s statement was provocative and could lead to a confrontation between different communities. However, Mr. Kumaraswamy said he would urge the Government to take serious note of the crime and book the offenders under appropriate laws and ensure stringent punishment.
The JD(S) leader also expressed concern over the glorification of knife and matchete-wielding criminals in movies influencing the youth. He appealed to film producers to ensure that they do not glorify crime and criminals in their movies.
He also clarified that he was not batting for any leniency to be shown to the accused and added that he was concerned about all the 6.5 crore people of the State.
He also regretted that the Government was encouraging the forces that were disrupting the harmony in the society. Referring to the reported social media campaign by certain Hindutva organisations against doing business with Muslims for the marketing of mangoes and cocoons, Mr. Kumaraswamy wondered if the members of the organisations that were carrying out the campaign would purchase the cocoons and reel silk out of them.
Similarly, he said mangoes grown by the farmers would be purchased by Muslim traders as well as Hindu traders. If the agricultural produce is not sold, it will be the farmer, who will suffer, he said.
The JD(S) leader did not rule out the possibility of early polls. He said the efforts by certain organisations to spread communal unrest appear to be aimed at polarising society for electoral gains. However, he said his party was ready to face elections even if they were advanced.
