Voting for the 224-member Karnataka Assembly will be held on May 10.
New Delhi:
Amid the ‘Bajrang Dal’ controversy, senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Sunday said his party’s Karnataka election manifesto did not say that the outfit would be banned, but promised “decisive action” under the law. , which is a warning to all organizations that spread hatred. brokerage.
Hitting out at the BJP for its criticism, he also questioned the comparison of Bajrang Dal with ‘Bajrangbali’ and asked how this ‘magical transformation’ can be explained.
In an interview with PTI ahead of the Karnataka Assembly elections on May 10, Mr Chidambaram expressed confidence that the people of the state would choose wisely, saying the choice was clear as Karnataka could either model a liberal, democratic, plural, tolerant Can be made. and progressive states or introverted, majoritarian, intolerant and regressive states.
“For the sake of democracy and the future of Karnataka, we should stop the BJP from winning in Karnataka and use the victory to start in neighboring states,” he said.
Asked about the BJP’s promise of implementation of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in the state and introduction of the National Register of Citizens (NRC), the former home minister said both are issues that divide the society and lead to social conflict. Capable of triggering.
Chidambaram told PTI-language, “We have experience of what happened in some northern and northeastern states.
Asked about the BJP making possible action against organizations like the Bajrang Dal in the Congress manifesto an election issue and whether it would impact the elections, Chidambaram said the Congress manifesto did not say that ” We will ban Bajrang Dal.” ,
Chidambaram said, “Please read the two sentences again. There is a reference to two organizations that use extreme language and indulge in extreme actions. Congress warns all organizations that spread hatred.”
“The Congress had promised ‘decisive action’ under the law. Besides, under the law, banning an organization is a judicial process. I wonder how Bajrang Dal became Bajrangbali! Can you explain the magical transformation? Can you?” said the former home minister.
In its election manifesto for the Karnataka polls, the Congress said it was committed to taking firm and decisive action against individuals and organizations that spread hatred between communities on the basis of caste or religion.
“We believe that law and constitution are sacred and cannot be violated by individuals and organizations like Bajrang Dal, PFI or others, whether they are promoting enmity or hatred between majority or minority communities. Will take decisive action, including the imposition of sanctions.” Any such organization,” the party said in its manifesto.
Mr Chidambaram, who is the Congress’ star campaigner for the election, said he could sense the desire for change in the state.
“Since I am not a resident of Karnataka, I am unable to micro-analyze and predict the number of seats Congress will win. My senior colleagues in the KPCC (Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee) are confident that Congress will win Asked about the expectation, he said, “We will get a clear majority.”
Asked about Prime Minister Modi raising the issue of abuses, Chidambaram said, what is ‘abuse’, it is a matter of perception. Strong political language in elections is not abuse. “Besides, shall we play tit for tat and count the abuses by BJP leaders against Mrs. Sonia Gandhi, Dr. Manmohan Singh and Mr. Rahul Gandhi? It is a futile exercise,” he said.
On reports that former chief minister Siddaramaiah and Karnataka Congress chief DK Shivakumar are trying to outdo each other for the CM’s post, Chidambaram said both are senior and responsible leaders of the Congress.
“The media is encouraged by the powers that be to sow dissension in the Congress. I am afraid that both the BJP and a section of the media will be disappointed!” He added.
On the message being sent through the Karnataka elections, Mr Chidambaram said, “We believe that a positive result for the Congress in the Karnataka elections will reverse the nation’s slide towards majoritarianism, bigotry, conservatism, crony capitalism and economic indifference.” Development.”
The senior Congress leader said, “There is a clear and present danger. The sooner the country wakes up to the danger, the better it will be for the future of the country and the people.”
Elections to the 224-member Karnataka Assembly will be held on May 10 and the counting of votes will take place on May 13.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)