Tipu Sultan row: BJP reaping benefits from irresponsible state govt, says Kumaraswamy

Bengaluru, Nov 13: The incautious political dispensation of the state government over Tipu Sultan Jayanti is being miss-availed by the state BJP to widen its vote bank.

"The Congress that recently protested against increasing intolerance in the country, has been allegedly sowing seeds of communal disharmony in Karnataka", this was the view placed by the former chief minister of Karnataka H D Kumaraswamy (HDK) in an exclusive telephonic conversation with OneIndia.

"The political administration of the state lead by CM Siddaramaiah failed completely in holding a grip over communal clashes, currently unfolding in the state," the chief of the state unit of the JD(S) hit out at incumbent Congress government.

HDK said that "he suspects the declaration of Tipu Sultan's Jayanti in Karnataka was the conspiracy by the government itself to divide the people on communal lines amidst growing intolerance in the country.

While citing the example of the erudite intellectual Girish Karnad's statement made at the Banquet hall of the Vidhana Soudha, HDK opined the Karnad's ill-timed statement fueled the fire in the raging controversy.

"In the backdrop of intolerance debate, controversial statement of Karnad was avoidable and the timing of the utterance is doubtful", he added.

He further stated the statement in the government function in the presence of the chief minister was conspicuous in nature.

"It sounds as if, chief minister and Karnad planned the delivery of the statement ahead of the function." he alleged.

On being questioned whether the celebration of Tipu's Jayanti was right, HDK expressed, "I do not say the Jayanti should be celebrated or not but the government of the day should be matured enough to study the current social scenario while forming decisions"

"No celebrations help realise social justice. Farmers are succumbing to drought and crop loss in the state and the government appears diverting the focus from key issues to trivial issues," HDK viewed. He further alleged the BJP has been going all out to milk political benefits from all untoward developments.

"Both the BJP and the Congress looks similar in handling communal cases and it is unruly for the political parties to pursue such route," he observed. HDK, in loud voice, questioned when the Congress seem futile in the state to check communal incidents, what moral authority both Siddaramaiah and Congress President Sonia Gandhi have to voice against intolerance.

When asked will this cause gulf in the JD(S)-Congress alliance in the BBMP, he said it has nothing to do with the BBMP. He said he would not join hands with the Congress and the BJP in the next assembly elections given the present development is concerned.

OneIndia News