Bengaluru, Nov 4 — Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge on Wednesday warned BJP state President B.Y. Vijayendra and Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council, Chalavadi Narayanaswamy, that they could face legal action and end up behind bars if they continued making provocative and derogatory statements against Congress leaders and workers.
Reacting to the controversial remarks made by the two BJP leaders, Kharge, speaking to the media here, said they lacked substance, knowledge and understanding of the issues they were commenting on. He warned that the government would initiate legal proceedings against them if such statements continued.
"We will not act unjustly or put anyone behind bars without reason. We will initiate action legally. If they continue making such statements, the situation will become difficult for them in the future, and they may end up behind bars," he said.
Taking strong exception to Narayanaswamy's remarks against Congress workers, Kharge said there was no connection between the BJP leader's mind and his tongue. He recalled that Narayanaswamy had visited his native place and allegedly called him a dog.
"Such a person, does he have any sense?" he asked.
Narayanaswamy had triggered a controversy by stating that BJP workers and supporters would chop Congress workers into pieces and throw them into the Arabian Sea if the Congress continued to create anarchy in the country.
He made the remarks while addressing a BJP foot march organised in Kolar under the slogan 'Save Democracy, Eradicate Anarchy', as a counter to the Congress protest against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
The Congress strongly condemned the statement, describing it as a threat against political opponents and questioning the political culture of the BJP. Narayanaswamy later denied making such a statement and claimed that his remarks had been twisted.
Kharge also criticised Vijayendra over his recent derogatory remarks against Congress workers in connection with the reservation issue and the Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC) controversy.
Questioning whether Vijayendra had properly studied the court judgment before making such statements, Kharge said the BJP leader was conveniently ignoring the observations made by the court against the previous BJP government.
"If SC/ST reservation has to be increased, the proposal has to be placed before the National Commission for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. Why was the procedure not completed? The court has criticised the previous BJP government. He conveniently forgets all this and makes statements," he said.
Vijayendra had criticised the Congress over its handling of the reservation issue and its arguments before the Karnataka High Court, using derogatory language against Congress workers. He subsequently expressed regret over his choice of words and apologised if his remarks had hurt anyone.
Kharge warned that continued personal attacks and provocative statements would invite legal consequences, adding that the government would follow due process while initiating action against those responsible.