BENGALURU: Dismissing the rumours that there would be large scale violence if Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Ms J Jayalalithaa did not get bail in Karnataka High Court, Chief Minister Mr Siddaramaiah said that protecting Kannada speaking people in Tamil Nadu was that government’s responsibility.
After Janata Darshan here on Tuesday, Mr Siddaramaiah told reporters that it was Supreme Court which directed that the trial should be held in Karnataka.
Karnataka is not a party to the case and Karnataka government does not have any representation in the court. The Public Prosecutor does not take instructions from State government. Nor the government is interested in appealing to the High Court to shift the case out of Karnataka, he said.
When asked about some of the posters in Tamil Nadu, threatening to hold Kannadigas as hostages if Ms Jayalalithaa did not get bail, Mr Siddaramaiah said that nothing of that sort would happen. “In federal system, every state will have people speaking different languages. Protecting linguistic minorities lies with respective state governments. Tamil Nadu government cannot take a step just because someone made such a statement,”’ he added.
