R Ashoka and Lok Sabha member Shobha Karandlaje
Credit: PTI Photo
A day after they were booked for their remarks on the unrest in Nagamangala in Mandya district, Leader of Opposition in the Assembly R Ashoka and Union Minister of State for Micro, Small and Medium Industries and Employment Shobha Karandlaje on Thursday struck a defiant note, stating that they would continue their fight against the politics of minority appeasement practised by the Congress.
“Congress will not succeed in its efforts to silence us by slapping cases against us. The Congress is making all attempts to stifle the opposition by indulging in politics of vendetta. The Chief Minister Siddaramaiah-led government is even trying to curtail the powers of the Governor by planning to bring amendments to certain laws,” Ashoka wrote on ‘X’.
Drawing attention to the fact that it was the Emergency imposed by former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi that had impelled him to take the plunge into public life, Ashoka added, “The Congress could not suppress me then; will I allow them to suppress me now? It will never happen.”
Meanwhile, Shobha, interacting with journalists at the Karnataka BJP headquarters in Bengaluru, accused Siddaramaiah of attempting to create a state of ‘undeclared Emergency’ in the state. She questioned the Congress government over the many cases filed against BJP workers, MLAs, MPs, since coming to power in the state.
Pointing out that filing of cases against leaders of the opposition, MPs and Union Ministers was unheard of in Karnataka, Shobha added, “Having won 135 seats in the assembly elections last year, drunk with arrogance, the Siddaramaiah government is booking cases with a vengeance only to placate its core votebank – minorities.”
Shobha questioned the Congress government’s inaction against members of the ruling party who had issued provocative statements. She pointed to MLC Ivan D’Souza threatening the Governor of a ‘Bangladesh-like’ revolt in the state after the latter gave his nod for prosecuting the CM, and to the alleged involvement of Yadgir MLA Channareddy Tunnur and his son in the death of SI Parashuram.