Karnataka Elections: Congress’ Dinesh Gundu Rao Says BJP Raking Up Non-Issues Like Halal, Hijab to Communalise; Clears Air on Tie-Up With JDS

Former Karnataka Congress chief and Gandhinagar MLA Dinesh Gundu Rao has said that it is not just Brand Bengaluru but Brand Karnataka that has been affected by the misrule and corrupt practices of the ruling BJP.

In an independent interview on how he sees the party’s plans for the upcoming Karnataka elections and the political rhetoric in the state, Gundu Rao felt that despite the BJP being in power both at the Center and in the state, Karnataka was getting ‘step-motherly treatment’ Are getting.

“I wonder where is the government with the double engine… Brands Bengaluru and Karnataka have been affected. Although our Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is an MP from Karnataka, she canceled the special funds allocated to the state by the Finance Commission keeping in mind how our taxes are devolved. They canceled Rs 5,000 crore allocated to the state last year and not a single MP from the BJP’s 325 Lok Sabha MPs spoke? They are all scared,” Rao told News18.

Speaking about the crumbling infrastructure in Bengaluru, the Congress leader said the city has been falling apart in the last two-three years. He said Bengaluru has been completely neglected by Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, who also holds the portfolio of managing the capital city.

He said, ‘Now elections are round the corner and some work is being done like roads etc. are being built, but all this is being done keeping elections in mind. The BJP does not have any vision to develop the city nor any development program for the next 10 years,” Rao said.

Rao, who represents Gandhinagar constituency in Bengaluru, also lamented that Bommai has not held meetings with any of the city’s legislators and is taking ‘ad hoc’ decisions.

“Even when funds are allocated, there is a lot of disparity,” Rao said, claiming that BJP MLAs have been given five times more money than their Congress counterparts. He also alleged that the Peripheral Ring Road which Bengaluru needs to help with its traffic congestion, suburban rail connectivity and construction of flyovers are only on paper.

Targeting the BJP on the issue of Halal and the Tipu vs Savarkar campaigns, Rao felt that the ruling party was trying to create an issue where none existed.

On the Halal Certification Bill, which is likely to be introduced in the ongoing budget session of the Karnataka Assembly, the Congressman said that it is not of much importance. In the monsoon session held last year, BJP MLC N Ravikumar demanded the introduction of a private member’s bill to ban Halal certification. He is seeking to transfer that food certification by an organization other than the Food Safety and Security Association India (FSSAI) should be banned.

“There has never been an issue about hijab or halal. The BJP is raising such issues to divide and communalise it.

He said: “They (BJP) are talking about hijab, halal, Tipu vs Veer Savarkar because they have failed to deliver development and good governance. People know that this government is not working properly and this is all a strategy to divert attention.

Taking aim at senior BJP leaders such as CT Ravi, Rao felt that their calls for protection of Hindutva and culture sound double-edged, “especially when they are speaking in an uncultured manner”.

Asked about former colleague and JDS leader HD Kumaraswamy’s ‘Brahmin’ remark, Rao said politicians should not attack a person on the basis of his caste. “Why is there a need to add caste while attacking a person? You can attack him on the basis of his performance or issues, not by naming his caste. A senior leader like Kumaraswamy should not speak like this.

To a question whether the Congress would think of forging an alliance with the JDS and Kumaraswamy in case of a hung result in the assembly polls, Rao said, “There will be no alliance with the JDS in this election.”

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