Bengaluru: "I am not a hardcore 'Hindutvavadi' trying to create communal disharmony as accused by Congress leaders including Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. My shared video clipping regarding what BJP National President Amit Shah said during his recent visit to Bengaluru has been distorted. I am not someone to be bogged down by such veiled threats", said Mysuru-Kodagu Lok Sabha member Pratap Simha.
Talking to Deccan Chronicle on Tuesday, Mr Simha said his video chat on his facebook account about Mr Shah's observation in the Bengaluru meeting was about 32 minutes but only a portion had been taken out by Congress leaders to distort it. Mr Shah had said many things and also sought to know from the party youth wing whether the police lathicharged or burst tear gas shells to quell their agitation. However, only a two minute capsule had been downloaded from his account by the ruling party which was trying to tarnish his and Mr Shah's image.
The MP said Mr Shah had never prompted BJP youth wing cadre to disturb communal harmony nor asked them to take the law into their hands. In fact, Karnataka had never supported the hardcore Hindutva theory. But, Congress leaders were trying to portray BJP as strong propagators of Hindutva to divide society.
Training his guns on Mr Siddaramaiah, the MP said the Hunsur incident could have been avoided had the Mysuru Police acted in an unbiased manner. The cops made the situation complex and also kept him in their custody for over 13 hours by taking him in a jeep from one police station to another. “The government deployed forces from neighboring states to ensure Tipu Jayanthi celebrations passed off peacefully but did they not have a police force for the Hanuma Jayanthi procession,” he wondered.
