 "Siddaramaiah accuses Amit Shah of desperate attempt to communalise situation ahead of Karnataka Assembly polls")
Bengaluru: Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah on Friday hit back at BJP chief Amit Shah for attacking his government for celebrating “Tipu Jayanti” and accused him of making a “desperate attempt” to communalise the situation ahead of the state Assembly polls. [caption id=“attachment_4187559” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Siddaramaiah. PTI[/caption] A day after coming under fire by the BJP chief at a rally in Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah claimed the election had brought “tourists like Shah” who display ignorance about the state. He tweeted
Election is coming! It brings tourists like @AmitShah who display ignorance about our state & call #KannadaRajyotsava as ‘Karnatak Mahotsav’
— Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) November 3, 2017
Flagging-off a 75-day state-wide ‘yatra’ spearheaded by BJP state mascot BS Yeddyurappa at a rally in Bengaluru on Thursday, Shah had flayed “Tipu Jayanti” celebrations, accusing the Siddaramaiah government of practising “vote bank politics.”
“Yesterday was November 1. It was Karnataka’s formation day. Karnataka Mahotsav (Rajyotsava) celebrations had to happen with grandeur, but Siddaramaiah government had no interest in Karnataka Mahotsava, they are more enthusiastic towards celebrating Tipu Jayanti on 10 November,” he said.
In a series of tweets in Kannada, Siddaramaiah defended the “Tipu Jayanti” celebrations.
We celebrate birthdays of 26 leaders & builders of #NavaKarnataka. @AmitShah in a desperate attempt to communalize, picks on Tipu Jayanthi.
— Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) November 3, 2017
He claimed the BJP yatra was a failure on the very first day, proving that the people were not with the party. The BJP has been opposing the event as it sees Tipu Sultan, the 18th century ruler of erstwhile Mysore kingdom, as a “brutal killer” and a"religious bigot" who converted people to Islam.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsAssembly elections are due in Karnataka early next year in which the BJP is hoping to capture power, unseating the government-led by Siddaramaiah. Making history, the BJP had installed its first-ever government in the South in 2008 before losing power to the Congress.
