Bengaluru: Stung by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s allegation that the JD(S) and BJP are working in tandem, JD(S) state president H.D. Kumaraswamy on Sunday posed 15 questions on secular credentials of the Congress government, led by Mr Siddaramaiah.
In a release, Mr Kumaraswamy asked whether the move to divide Lingayats and Veerashaivas along the lines of religion was secular. “Without taking the community into confidence and based on a hurried report, the government recognised the community as a religion and sent the proposal to Centre. For so many years, Congress was appeasing the minority community as a vote bank. But now it has started wooing majority Hindus. Is this Congress’ secular credentials,” he asked.
Mr Siddaramaiah has destroyed various community leaders like V. Srinivas Prasad, H. Vishwanath, S.M. Krishna and M.H. Ambarish, he said. “Where is the protection given to those who fought for secular philosophy? Though years have passed, murderers of Mr M.M. Kalaburgi and Ms Gauri Lankesh are yet to be caught,” he said.
He said, “The chief minister claims to be a socialist, but why is he wearing a watch worth Rs 70 lakh? The steel bridge issue revealed how clean this government is.”
He said, “The chief minister claims that the state has been peaceful during his rule. But when legislator Vijayanand Kashyappanavar attacked the police in a pub, Minister Vinay Kulakarni attacked doctors, Byrathi Basavaraj attacked a police constable, Chief Minister's associate threatened Mysuru DC, B. Somashekhar’s men went on the rampage and K.J. George’s son and supporters attacked a youngster, it was the Siddaramaiah government which protected them.”
