Former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has issued a stern warning to the police officials against colluding with the ruling party.
Addressing the public meeting at Gundlupet before the start of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra, Mr. Siddaramaiah took serious exception to the tearing and disfiguring of the posters put up by the Congress workers to welcome Mr. Gandhi. Though he had spoken to the police, such misdeeds were continuing, he complained.
He claimed that the government in Karnataka will change after six months and the Congress will return to power. “If you join hands with them, you will be taught a befitting lesson”, Mr Siddaramaiah told the police officials. However, he said his warning does not apply to all the police officials, but only to the ones, who collude with the ruling BJP.
While warning the miscreants, Mr Siddaramaiah said the Congress workers had the strength to prevent the BJP leaders from going around in the State.
The former Chief Minister came down heavily on the BJP’s “communal politics” and disrespect for democracy and the Constitution.
Alleging that the BJP does not want peace to reign in the country, Mr. Siddaramaiah said the party divides people on the lines of religion and caste to reap political benefits. “This has become more after Narendra Modi became the Prime Minister”, he said and emphasised the need to back Mr. Rahul Gandhi, who had embarked upon a padayatra across the country, upset with the “communal politics” of the BJP.
He said people of the civil society, writers, thinkers, farmers and Left parties too have lent their support to the exercise that is aimed at “saving the country”.