'...undeclared emergency in K'taka': Union Minister Karandlaje attacks Congress

NT Correspondent Bengaluru: Union Minister Shobha Karandlaje on Thursday alleged that there seems to be an "undeclared emergency" in Karnataka, and likened Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to Hitler, as she hit out at the Congress government for filing cases against her and Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Assembly R Ashoka. She said that neither she nor her party workers and leaders will be cowed down by such cases and threats and that they will continue to fight the government's alleged "appeasement politics." FIRs have been registered against Karandlaje and Ashoka on the charges of allegedly sharing "false information" on social media in connection with the recent violence at Nagamangala town in Mandya district.

"There is a kind of undeclared emergency in Karnataka. Siddaramaiah has become Hitler after becoming the Chief Minister. FIRs are being registered against BJP parliamentarians and legislators continuously. For the first time in the history of the state, FIRs have been registered against the Leader of Opposition and a Central minister, also against Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya," Karandlaje said. Addressing a press conference here, the Union Minister of State for Labour and Employment said FIRs have been also registered against BJP legislators like Harish Poonja, Basangouda Patil Yatnal, Arvind Bellad and Bharath Shetty, and "in this way the Congress is trying to suppress BJP and its leaders." "I want to ask Siddaramaiah regarding Ivan D'Souza (Congress leader) had threatened the Governor with Bangladesh-like consequence, our Mangaluru workers are everyday going to police station, giving complaint, but still it has not been taken up, till today no FIR has been registered against him," she said.

Further pointing out that no case has been registered against Yadgir Congress MLA Channareddy Tunnur and his son in a case linked to the death of Police Sub-Inspector Parashuram, and Special Investigation Team probe report has not mentioned the name of former Minister B Nagendra in the multicrore Valmiki ST Development Corporation scam, Karandlaje asked: "what are you trying to turn Karnataka into?"