Questioning the “Congress’ silence” over the Hubballi violence, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai asked why that party preferred to be silent even when a mob attacked a police station.
“For Congress, maintaining a vote bank and capturing power is very important. Nation and State are not important to them. If a small incident happens, they make a hue and cry. The hijab issue was a small one and could have ended amicably. But they made it into a big issue. In the court, a Congress lawyer represented those who favoured hijab. Is maintenance of peace possible if people don’t respect the law of the land? Congress leaders did not speak when the house of an MLA of their own party was set ablaze. They don’t want peace,” Mr. Bommai said, speaking at the party state executive meet at Hosapete on Sunday.
“The Congress came to power in 2013 because of the differences in our party. But, the period of Congress’ rule witnessed more communal violence. At many places, Hindu youths were killed. Violence and communal riots ruled the roost. Siddaramaiah, the then Chief Minister, withdrew as many as 200 cases registered against PFI [Popular Front of India] that was responsible for communal violence. The Congress encouraged communal forces to disturb peace in society just for its vote bank,” Mr. Bommai charged.
Speaking to media representatives in the town, former Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar questioned where were the Congress leaders when houses of Hindus were attacked in Hubballi.
“When a watermelon stall [owned by a Muslim vendor] on a temple premises was destroyed, the Congress resorted to protests. Now, do they protest against the Hubballi violence? The Congress is doing vote-bank politics. A Congress legislator’s house at D.J. Halli in Benglauru was set ablaze without any provocation. The Congress Government did nothing in the case,” Mr. Shettar said.
“Those who had shared objectionable content on WhatsApp have been arrested. It is improper to indulge in violence even after the police took action. People, irrespective of their religion, should respect the law of the land,” Mr. Shettar added.
