Dharmasthala SIT is Cong conspiracy, scripted by ultra-Leftists, executed by Siddaramaiah govt: BJP

Bengaluru, Aug 19 (IANS) Karnataka BJP continued its attack on the Siddaramaiah government over the mass grave case, stating on Tuesday that the Special Investigation Team (SIT) formed to probe Dharmasthala was a conspiracy hatched by the Congress party.

The Leader of Opposition in the Assembly, R. Ashoka, while speaking to reporters, said, "Dharmasthala SIT is a Congress conspiracy. It is scripted by ultra-Leftists and executed by the Siddaramaiah government."

He further slammed, "The so-called Dharmasthala investigation is nothing but a manufactured conspiracy by the Congress high command - scripted and directed by ultra-Leftists and urban naxals. These forces, closely aligned with CM Siddaramaiah, are the ones dictating and guiding the government."

"Let it be clear: The Dharmasthala SIT was hurriedly set up only to malign Sanatan Dharma and its revered institutions. The Congress-led government in Karnataka is dancing to the tunes of ultra-Leftists and urban Naxals instead of respecting people’s faith. The belief of crores of Hindus is being insulted for Congress’ appeasement politics," Ashoka said.

"This is not justice -- this is Hinduphobia, driven by the conversion mafia and their urban Naxal allies," stated Ashoka.

Ashoka said that Karnataka will not forgive this conspiracy. "CM Siddaramaiah, Dy CM D.K. Shivakumar and the entire cabinet must apologise to the people of Karnataka for this sham," he said.

BJP MLC C.T. Ravi, speaking to the media at Vidhana Soudha, stated, "The Congress-led government has replied on the Dharmasthala case, but has any action been taken? What action has been taken against those who made false accusations? On YouTube, a hate campaign has been carried out -- what action has been initiated against it? If no action has been taken, what is the reason for this inaction? The government should clarify on whose behest action has not been initiated."

"They need to tell the truth. Is there any pressure? If not, why has no action been taken yet? They are saying nothing. Based on the complaint of an unknown person, they initiated an investigation and dug up 17 sites in Dharmasthala. What did they find?" Ravi questioned.

"Before the report on the investigation was even submitted, hatred was spread and false allegations were made. What action has the government taken in this regard? The government must come forward and make a statement on why they are not initiating any action," Ravi said.

Speaking on the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) directive to Rahul Gandhi to file an affidavit within seven days or apologise regarding his vote-theft allegations, Ravi stated, "Hit and run is his habit. He made allegations and then walked away. If he had evidence and faith in the Constitution, he could have lodged a complaint. Until now, no complaint has been filed. This proves that he has no evidence. He made false allegations and tried to build a false narrative, and then went to Bihar. If he wins, he talks about people’s trust, but if he loses, he starts blaming EVMs and the ECI."

"Whenever he loses an election, he always keeps ready-made allegations handy," Ravi ridiculed.

BJP MLA Harish Poonja said that while the Karnataka government has replied on the Dharmasthala matter, the BJP has consistently demanded a logical conclusion to the case. "The people are demanding a report on the progress of the investigation. The Karnataka government should release it at the earliest," he stated.

When asked about his controversial statement that CM Siddaramaiah was responsible for the killing of 28 Hindus, MLA Harish Poonja clarified, "This is an issue from 2023, which came to light after I won the election. At that time, the Karnataka government filed a case against me, and the court granted me bail. This matter has been misused on social media. I have already clarified this in the Assembly."

It can be recalled that the issue resurfaced after Mahesh Shetty Timarodi reiterated the statement, claiming that CM Siddaramaiah was responsible for the killing of 28 Hindus. The matter was discussed in the Assembly session on Monday, and the government has assured legal action against Shetty, who is one of the activists leading the campaign demanding "justice" in the Dharmasthala murders case for years.

MLA Poonja further stated, "There is no legal framework for social media, and it is being misused to spread propaganda. We had asked the government to create a legal framework for YouTube channels. Otherwise, they will continue to send wrong messages to society."

--IANS

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