A day after Congress president Rahul Gandhi accused the BJP of spreading hate and fear in the country, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said here on Sunday it was the BJP which was dousing the fires lit by the Congress.
“We have been dousing the fire set by the Congress in the country,” Mr. Singh said at a meeting in connection with the Parivarthana rally of the BJP in Karnataka.
“It is not the BJP’s policy that led to the birth of terrorism or naxalism. The BJP’s policy did not lead to the 1984 violence or the Punjab issue. Our policy did not start fire in Kashmir,” he said.
Mr. Singh said India had emerged as a strong nation now. “If India was a weak nation, it would not have been possible to settle the Doklam deadlock on the India-China border. China feels that it should maintain a good relationship with India because it is not weak,” he said.
Promises probe
Speaking on the murder of journalist Gauri Lankesh in the city, Mr. Singh promised a thorough investigation if the BJP was voted to power in Karnataka in the coming Assembly elections.
“We will not spare anyone linked to the murder; nor will we allow any one to escape,” he said.
“People like Rudresh and Kuttappa [RSS and BJP members] have been murdered. Now I was informed that 19-year-old Paresh Mesta has been murdered, besides Gauri Lankesh. I want to know what the State government is doing in connection with these murders,” he said.
Raking up the controversy over Tipu Jayanthi, Mr. Singh said the State government went ahead with the official celebrations only to appease the Muslim community. “Tipu was made a hero. I am not aware of historical facts about what is true and what is false. But what was the reason to rake up the issue which was already mired in controversy. It is a deliberate effort to polarise society,” he said.
Instead, he said, if they were really interested in celebrating the birth anniversary of a noted personality, the State government should have celebrated that of Kittur Rani Chennamma, Bengaluru founder Kempe Gowda and noted engineer M. Visvesvaraya.
Corruption in Karnataka
Mr. Singh alleged that upright officers from Karnataka were committing suicide and officials with integrity were being forced to resign and some were being attacked. “I feel sad when I hear that Karnataka is among the top three corrupt States in the country. Nobody else could have thought of a garbage scam except for the Congress,” he said.
