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Union minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Shobha Karandlaje’s remarks apparently linking the people of Tamil Nadu to the Rameshwaram Café blast earlier this month and those from Kerala to an acid attack on three girls in Mangaluru triggered a controversy on Wednesday, with the ruling parties of both southern states condemning her for the “reckless” statements.
The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) complained to the Election Commission of India (ECI) against Karandlaje, who apologised for her remark late on Tuesday.
ECI subsequently asked the Karnataka chief electoral officer to submit a compliance report on the matter within 48 hours. The Tamil Nadu Police also filed a first information report (FIR) against her for “promoting enmity” between different groups.
In a now viral video, Karandlaje could be heard blaming “people from Tamil Nadu” for the March 1 blast at the Rameshwaram Café in Bengaluru.
“People from Tamil Nadu come here, get trained there, and plant bombs here. They placed a bomb in the cafe,” she said, alleging that the bomber, who is yet to be arrested, was trained in Tamil Nadu’s Krishnagiri forests “under your (Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin’s) nose”.
In the same video, the Union minister of state for agriculture and farmers welfare also alleged that the people of Kerala were behind the acid attack on three girls in Karnataka’s Dakshina Kannada district earlier this month, and accused chief minister Pinayari Vijayan of promoting radical elements.
“Law and order in Karnataka has deteriorated. People who come from Tamil Nadu plant bombs here, people from Delhi chant ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ slogans and people who come from Kerala are involved in acid attacks,” she told reporters during a protest against attack on Bengaluru shopkeeper for allegedly playing a bhajan “at a high volume”
The controversy played out just weeks before general elections.
On Wednesday, Karandlaje retracted her remarks and apologised.
“To my Tamil brothers and sisters, I wish to clarify that my words were meant to shine light, not cast shadows. Yet I see that my remarks brought pain to some – and for that, I apologise. My remarks were solely directed towards those trained in the Krishnagiri forest,” she posted on X.
But the Opposition was not impressed.
Sharing Karandlaje’s video on his official X handle, Tamil Nadu chief minister Stalin called her remarks “reckless” and called for legal action against the BJP leader.
“Strongly condemn Union BJP minister @ShobhaBJP’s reckless statement. One must either be an NIA official or closely linked to the #RameshwaramCafeBlast to make such claims. Clearly, she lacks the authority for such assertions,” Stalin posted on X.
“Tamilians and Kannadigas alike will reject this divisive rhetoric of BJP. I also urge for an appropriate legal action against Shobha for causing threat to peace, harmony and national unity. From the Prime Minister to the cadre, everyone in the BJP should stop engaging in this dirty divisive politics at once. ECI must take note of this hate speech and initiate stringent action immediately,” he added.
The DMK also filed a complaint with ECI, accusing Karandlaje of violating the model code of conduct as her statement could incite violence and hatred towards the Tamil community.
Read more: What CCTV footage found about Rameshwaram Cafe ‘bomber’
“The statement attempts to promote feelings of enmity and hatred between the people of Karnataka and the people of Tamil Nadu, and has been made for the furtherance of the prospects of the election of the Hon’ble minister. It generalises the people of Tamil Nadu as extremists, and seeks to create hostility and enmity between two communities, i.e., the Tamilians and the Kannadigas,” the DMK letter said.
Taking note of the DMK’s complaint, ECI directed the Karnataka chief electoral officer to take immediate and appropriate action about alleged model code violation by Karandlaje. The poll panel also sought a compliance report on the matter within 48 hours.
The Lok Sabha elections for 39 seats in Tamil Nadu will be held in one phase on April 19. The result of the election will be announced on 4 June 2024.
The Cyber Crime wing of Madurai Police also booked Karandlaje for “promoting enmity” between different groups.
Based on the complaint of social worker C Thiagarajan, the FIR booked Karandlaje under sections 153 (wantonly giving provocation, with intent to cause riot), 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language), 505 (1)(b) and 505 (2) [statements conducing to public mischief] of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). HT has seen the FIR.
Reacting to the Union minister’s comments, senior leader of the ruling Left Front and CPI state secretary Binoy Viswom urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to address the hate remarks made by the BJP leader.
“The Union Minister stated that people from Kerala are perpetrating acid attacks on girls in Karnataka. Shobha Karandlaje, who retracted her comments against people from Tamil Nadu in relation to the Rameswaram cafe blast, is refusing to withdraw her statements against the people of Kerala”, Viswam said in a statement.
“The people of Kerala are anxiously awaiting Prime Minister Modi’s response, as he frequently visits the state, conducts roadshows, and makes unsubstantiated promises to the people,” he added.
Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the state assembly, V D Satheesan, demanded an apology from the Union minister. “If she fails to retract her remarks and issue an apology, the Congress and the UDF are contemplating legal action, which may include approaching the Election Commission”, he said.
Reacting to the row, BJP TN vice president Narayanan Thirupathy said: “Of course, what she said has not been confirmed by the NIA. She has apologised and the matter ends there.”
A Kerala BJP leader, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said: “There are a lot of students from Kerala who go to different parts of Karnataka to study. The Union minister’s remarks seek to insult all of them even though what happened (near Manguluru) was a one-off incident. It’s not right to generalise.”
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