Fake letter targeting MB Patil re-emerges

Bengaluru, NT Bureau: A fabricated letter targeting Industries Minister MB Patil has re-emerged and is doing the rounds on the internet. The letter dated July 10, 2017, carries the Bijapur Lingayat District Educational Association (BLDEA) letterhead and names Patil as president of the organisation.

In the fake letter, Patil suggests to then Congress president Sonia Gandhi that the party strategy to win the 2018 Assembly elections and 2019 Lok Sabha polls would be to “divide Hindus on the basis of caste/sub-caste and sect and sub-sect” and “unite Muslims and Christians on the basis of their faith”.

Patil had promptly repudiated the letter as a forgery back then. The letter names Global Christian Council (GCC) and World Islamic Organisation (WIO), who would help Congress consolidate Christian and Muslim votes respectively. Upon closer observation, it becomes clear that neither organization exists.

“As suggested by you, I along with a few ministers had an extensive and elaborate discussion with the representatives of the Global Christian Council (GCC) and World Islamic Organisation (WIO) regarding strategy to be adopted for the 2018 elections to Karnataka Assembly,” the letter read.

“The unanimous opinion is that in order to win the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, it is essential to curb the RSS growth in Karnataka and defeat BJP in the 2018 Assembly elections. This can be achieved by uniting the Muslims and Christians on the basis of their faith; divide the Hindus on the basis of caste/ sub-caste and sect and sub/sect,” it added.

This was a reference to Siddaramaiah in his first term as CM lending support to the separate religion tag for Lingayats. Patil is himself a Lingayat.

“To achieve this objective, it was decided that we use the differences prevailing in the Veerashaiva Lingayat Community and announce sops for the Muslims and Christians in our budget and later in the election manifesto,” the letter said.