In his bid to term Chief Minister Siddaramaiah anti-Hindu, Dharwad MP and former BJP State president Pralhad Joshi courted controversy on Tuesday by referring to the Chief Minister as Mullah Siddaramaiah.
Addressing a demonstration and protest meeting organised by Hindu Hitarakshana Vedike at Durgad Bail here on Tuesday, Mr. Joshi alleged that anti-nationals and terrorists were getting protection from Siddaramaiah and the State was on the way to becoming another West Bengal and Kerala, where Hindus had no protection.
Mr. Joshi said that the Hindus were in danger and the killings of Hindus in Karnataka should be a wake-up call to all to come out and protest. He accused Mr. Siddaramaiah of protecting activists of the Popular Front of India and the Karnataka Forum for Dignity (KFD) and said after coming to power, the Siddaramaiah-led government had withdrawn cases against 1,700 PFI and KFD activists.
Mr. Joshi said that West Bengal had become a haven for illegal Bangladesh immigrants and the Mamata Banerjee-led government was protecting them for political reasons. He said that people of Karnataka should wake up to protest and prevent Karnataka from becoming another West Bengal and Kerala. The death of Paresh Mesta should be the last of such killings, he said.
Mr. Joshi said that there were vested interests that want to convert India into Pakistan and organisations such as the RSS, VHP and ABVP were the main hurdles for them. Mr. Joshi said that they would not allow such forces to succeed and would not hesitate to cut the tongues of those who shout “Pakistan Zindabad”.
RSS Leader Raghunandan said that the Hindus had great belief in the police. “If the police had not performed their duties promptly, the Hindus would have taken up swords in their hand. We believe in the police; if this belief vanishes, then no police or anti-nationals will remain here. I appeal to the police to do their duty sincerely,” he said.
A large number of members of Hindutva outfits and BJP attended the protest meeting and demonstration.
