Union Law and Justice Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Friday criticised Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi for calling the murder of senior journalist Gauri Lankesh a “right-wing conspiracy”.
“Even before the investigation could start, Rahul Gandhi publicly has alleged that the RSS [Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh] and right-wing ideology are responsible for Gauri Lankesh’s murder. The Chief Minister [Siddaramiah] should tell us if Rahul Gandhi has already pronounced guilt, what will the Karnataka government probe now?” Mr. Prasad said.
He reiterated that there was no place for violence in a democracy, adding that he and other Ministers at the Centre had condemned the killing.
Mr. Prasad added, “I would like to ask Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah whether Gauri Lankesh was helping Naxals surrender with the government’s consent, and if so, why was she not given enough security?”
He said there were reports that Naxalites were unhappy with Gauri for bringing some of their comrades into the mainstream, citing the claims fo her brother Indrajit.
Kerala killings
He accused liberal voices who were “rightly angry” with Gauri’s murder of being silent when RSS workers were killed in Kerala, and sought to know whether RSS men had human rights or not.
“Condemning every murder is correct but why did my liberal friends maintain silence after the killings of BJP-RSS workers in Kerala and Karnataka? Why have the killers of Kalburgi ji not been caught yet,” Mr. Prasad asked.
He wondered if Mr. Gandhi had asked the Karnataka government why the killers had not been caught and punished yet.
Demanding an investigation by the State, Mr. Prasad said, “Do not politicise the issue. We hope the Congress government in Karnataka will probe it honestly.”
