Karnataka Cong claims there is life threat to CM Siddaramaiah; politics of hatred pursued, says BJP

Bengaluru, May 25 (IANS) Karnataka Congress maintains that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is facing life threat, and demanded action against former BJP minister C.N. Ashwath Narayan.

Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee Spokesperson M. Lakshmana stated in Mysuru on Thursday that CM Siddaramaiah faced life threat from BJP even now.

"In this background, we are demanding action against former minister Ashwath Narayan. His statement to finish off Siddaramaiah like erstwhile Mysuru ruler Tipu Sultan is still going viral on social media. There is possibility of Siddaramaiah being attacked," he explained.

Lakshmana further stated "If anything happens to Siddaramaiah, BJP and Ashwath Narayan are squarely responsible. Ashwath Narayan should be immediately arrested."

"We have lodged a complaint against Ashwath Narayan in Devaraja police station in Mysuru. The police have already informed the Speaker of the House in this regard," he explained.

The intention behind the statement has to be ascertained, Lakshmana stated.

Ashwath Narayan in turn hit out at the Congress on Thursday and maintained that the party is pursuing politics of hatred in the state.

Ashwath Narayan claimed that as soon as the Congress came to power, the police are pressured and got the FIR done against him. "I had only slammed Siddaramaiah's love towards erstwhile Mysuru ruler Tipu Sultan. I don't have any enmity against him," he claimed.

"I had also apologised in the session for my statement. The case should have ended there but it is not happening. After coming to power, Congress is pursuing politics of hatred," he maintained.

The controversial statement was given during the election campaign at Sathanur village in Mandya district on February 15. The Congress leaders had lodged a police complaint in this regard on February 17. There was no action on the complaint.

Lakshman had stated in the complaint that Ashwath Narayan had given public provocation by giving a call to finish off Siddaramaiah. Earlier, an attempt made on Siddaramaiah's life when he visited the rain-hit areas in the region.

There are possibilities of anti-social elements harming him again. The action needs to be taken against Ashwath Narayan, he demanded in his complaint. The police have lodged FIR against Ashwath Narayan and investigating the case.

Ashwath Narayan had stated, "The people of Mandya would achieve anything. It should begin from Mandya. Otherwise Tippu fan Siddaramaiah will come to the forefront. You decide on whether you want Tipu or Savarkar. What did Uri Gowda and Nanje Gowda do to Tipu Sultan? They finished him off. Likewise Siddaramaiah should be finished off."

Ashwath Narayan represents Malleshwaram constituency in Bengaluru and is one of the prominent Vokkaliga leaders of BJP. He was at the forefront in operation lotus which brought BJP to power in 2019 after the collapse of JD (S)-Congress coalition government.

Ashwath Narayan was in-charge of Ramnagar district and he had taken on Dy CM D.K. Shivakumar family and former PM H.D. Deve Gowda family on their own turf to draw the Vokkaliga vote-bank towards BJP party in Karnataka.