Holding the two national parties — Congress and BJP — responsible for the violence in Uttara Kannada district, State president of the Janata Dal (Secular) H.D. Kumaraswamy on Tuesday demanded that the government take stringent steps to restore peace in the region.
Accusing the BJP of politicising the issue without getting a clear picture on the death of BJP worker Paresh Mesta, he asked BJP leaders to protest at least after ascertaining the truth. “The BJP did not have any issue other than creating tension between the communities. Instead of cooperating in containing violence, the MP for Uttara Kannada is igniting tension,” he said.
“Some JD(S) leaders were also murdered in the recent months. Did we ask party workers to torch public vehicles and attack people?” Mr. Kumaraswamy said.
An accident between an autorickshaw and a two-wheeler had been used to escalate the situation, he said. “BJP leaders should behave responsibly, as it is not possible to come to power by triggering communal violence, and the government has to extend protection to all the communities,” he said.
