Bengaluru, March 5 (SocialNews.XYZ) The Karnataka BJP on Wednesday criticised the Congress-led government in the Legislative Assembly over the swift surrender of Naxals.
The BJP further warned the government not to take Naxalism lightly or engage in politics over the matter.
In response, the Congress government maintained that no one was supporting the Naxals and questioned whether the BJP wanted the violence to continue.
BJP MLA and General Secretary V. Sunil Kumar raised the issue while addressing the Governor’s speech to the joint session. He said, “I have to talk about these ‘red rogues’ who pose a threat to national security and democracy. I come from a Naxal-affected region. Over the last 20 years, I have closely witnessed and experienced the impact of Naxal activities on people’s lives.”
“We have lost dozens of party workers in our region, and many have lost their homes and properties due to the violence and torture inflicted by Naxals. The Congress-led government has suddenly facilitated the surrender of Naxals in Karnataka, which has raised several questions,” Sunil Kumar stated.
However, the BJP MLA clarified that he was not opposed to the surrender of Naxals but questioned the process. “How did this surrender take place? The Naxal problem, which has existed for years, cannot be resolved overnight. How did this happen so suddenly?” he asked.
He further questioned, “Who is controlling the administration? CM Siddaramaiah tweets, asking Naxals to surrender and welcomes such a development. Two days later, Naxals come out of the jungles to surrender. The same Naxals who could not be found in the combing operations conducted by the Anti-Naxal Force (ANF) suddenly know about the tweet. Who is really running the administration and who is sitting at the CM’s official residence, Krishna, in Bengaluru to inform them?”
“The Naxal ideology seeks to capture power through the barrel of a gun. They believe in ruling through fear and violence. Should we just sit back and watch this surrender process without raising any objections?” Sunil Kumar asked.
“In 2008, I say this with sadness — one day before the Assembly election, two people were shot dead by Naxals at 5 p.m. I reached there by 5:30 p.m. Let the government reveal who killed them for supporting us,” he said.
He warned the government not to take Naxalism lightly or politicise the issue.
Sunil Kumar also recalled the brutal killing of BJP worker Sheshappa Gowda during the previous Congress government. “Gowda was brutally murdered by Naxals. They barged into his house at 9 p.m. while he was having dinner with his wife. His wife pleaded with them to let him finish his meal, but they took him away and killed him.”
“They tied him to a pole outside his house and hacked him to death. When we have witnessed such brutality in Karnataka, how can the government suddenly facilitate the surrender of Naxals overnight?” Sunil Kumar questioned.
He further accused the government of falsely claiming Karnataka is a “Naxal-free state.”
Former Home Minister and BJP MLA Araga Jnanendra also spoke on the issue, stating, “Sheshappa Gowda was a PLD Bank member nominated by the Congress party. Naxals tied him to a pole and hacked him to death in front of his wife. Can you imagine such a situation? And yet, this government facilitates their surrender.”
“When I was the Home Minister, we conducted extensive searches but couldn’t catch them. How is it that they suddenly surrendered just because of a tweet?” Jnanendra questioned.
Sunil Kumar further challenged the government, saying, “Why stop at Naxals? Why not invite terrorists to surrender through a tweet as well?”
Reacting to the BJP’s accusations, Minister for Health Dinesh Gundu Rao responded, “I don’t understand what the BJP leaders are trying to say. None of us are supporting Naxals. The process of Naxal surrenders has taken place in other states and in Karnataka as well.”
“What exactly is your suspicion? Do you not want them to surrender? Do you want the violence to continue? Or do you want Naxalism to end? There have been many instances of Naxals surrendering and later becoming representatives of the people,” Minister Rao stated.
Sunil Kumar clarified that he was not opposing the surrenders but questioning the process. “I am asking how such a major issue can be resolved through a mere tweet. You are comfortably settled in Bengaluru and have no idea about the intensity of the Naxal issue. I have lived through it,” he said.
Rao shot back, saying, “What do you mean by that? Are you saying I am comfortable in Bengaluru? You are also living there comfortably. Shouldn’t we live in Bengaluru? Should R. Ashoka, your leader, not live in Bengaluru?”
On January 8, when some Maoists surrendered, Siddaramaiah welcomed them to the mainstream by offering them roses and copies of the Constitution in Bengaluru.
Earlier, with the six Maoists laying down arms, the Congress-led government had then declared Karnataka as a Left Wing Extremism-free state.
Mundagaru Latha from Mundagaru in Sringeri; Vanajakshi from Balehole in Kalasa; Sundari from Kutluru near Mangaluru; Marappa Jayanna Aroli from Raichur; Vasantha T. aka Ramesh from Tamil Nadu, and N. Jeesha from Kerala surrendered in presence of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.
Maoist Katehonda Ravi surrendered before authorities in Karnataka later, on February 1.
Karnataka BJP President B. Y. Vijayendra had termed the surrender of Maoists before Chief Minister Siddaramaiah as a “sheer act of drama”.
Source: IANS
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