By Our Special Correspondent
Chief Minister Basavaraju Bommai just went to a BJP worker's house and announced compensation to the family of a Hindu youth, leaving the families of the Muslim youths unscathed, leading to controversy Collective way.
Prominent Muslim organizations boycotted a peace meeting organized by the police department in Dakshina Kannada district, accusing the ruling BJP government of partiality. In the last 10 days, three murders, two Muslim youths and a BJP worker have rocked the state and sparked protests.
Former MLA JR Lobo alleged that CM Bommayi's partisan attitude of visiting only the Hindu victim and looking down on the Muslim victims was the main reason for the absence of Muslim communities from the peace meeting.
Moreover, between 2013 and 2017, the political tussle between CM Bommai and Siddaramaiah over the killing of more than 30 Hindu and Muslim youths in the state, especially in the coastal region, has opened up wounds again. Police sources reveal that the war of words between the two top leaders will further widen the communal divide in the state.
After the murder of BJP activist Praveen Kumar Nettaru, CM Bommai lashed out at Siddaramaiah saying that the main reason for such developments in the state was the withdrawal of cases against SDPI and PFI organizations that had killed 22 Hindu youths.
"During my tenure as CM, a total of 23 murders took place due to political and communal clashes. Out of 23, 12 are Hindus and 11 are Muslims. SDPI and PFI activists are accused in 8 murder cases against 12 Hindus. In one case, a Congress worker was made an accused. Siddaramaiah said that 99 people have been arrested and the investigation is going on.
“Bajrang Dal activists have been made accused in 8 murder cases of Muslims and Hindu Jagran Vedika, Sri Rama Sena and VHP activists have been made accused in other three murder cases. "We have taken action against 115 accused," said Siddaramaiah.
But BJP leaders claim that more than 30 Hindu youths were killed during Siddaramaiah's regime. The BJP made it a major issue in the 2018 elections and the party swept the coastal assembly seats.
"BJP has violated the oath of sanctity taken by CM Bommai during the swearing-in ceremony by only going to the house of the victim and not visiting the family of the Muslim youth. Forget observing Raj dharma, BJP is not even doing justice to its workers,” he deplored.
With assembly elections less than 10 months away, Karnataka, known as one of the progressive states, is deeply divided along religious lines. We have to see how the situation will change in the coming days as the political parties are trying to win the elections.
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