On Monday (February 22), Karnataka BJP MP Pratap Simha lashed out at his own party for not banning radical Islamist outfits such as the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) and Karnataka Forum for Dignity (KFD). He expressed regret over government inaction, despite the repeated killing of party Karyakartas.
The BJP MP from the Mysore-Kodagu constituency said, “I am extremely upset about the brutal killing of Bajrang Dal Karyakarta Harsha. I am ashamed that these attacks are continuing despite the BJP government in power.” He pointed out how several other Karyakartas including Prasshanth Poojari, Deepak Rao, Santosh, Sharath Madiwala, Raju, Praveen Poojari, and Paresh Mesta were hacked to death in a similar way.
“For every murder, we used to accuse SDPI, KFD and blame the Siddaramaiah government because they took back 175 criminal cases against SDPI and KFD members hacked a conspiracy and murdered our Karyakartas,” he said. Simha emphasised how BJP secured 104 seats in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly due to the efforts made by the foot soldiers of the party.
“Even after our party came to power, using the CAA protests as a pretext in Mangaluru, they attacked police and innocent bystanders. Because of the alertness of a few personnel, it was averted and firing took place which saved the government’s honour that day,” he remarked.
The BJP lawmaker added how the cops and Hindus were again targeted by Islamists during the infamous Bengaluru riots of 2020 in DJ Halli and HJ Halli. Simha said that his government vowed to punish the miscreants and ban Islamist outfits like SDPI and KFD.
“.. after Harsha’s murder, you again say you will take stringent action against those murderer’s, will our Karyakarta’s believe us?”
— Nanjesh Patel (ನಂಜು) (@nanjeshpatel) February 21, 2022
“The encounter which happened in Hyderabad after the rape case should be repeated here, only then they will understand. Nothing else will work.” pic.twitter.com/VS4L0DLdtk
Simha said, “Today with the hijab issue, there is an atmosphere of insecurity. This is even after the HC gave an interim ruling upholding the government order. You appeal for peace but they don’t give a damn about it. You impose Section 144 but they openly violate it and yet no action is taken.”
“After Harsha’s murder, you said that you will take stringent action against the accused. Will our karyakartas believe us? That’s why I am ashamed today. If you had taken action against SDPI and KFD after the Dj Halli/KJ Halli incident, would this incident have happened?” he continued.
The BJP MP lashed out at his party for continuing to blame the erstwhile Congress government instead of self-introspection. “Why did our karyakartas put efforts to get us elected then? They put up posters, ran campaigns for us. I have full faith in BS Bommai (incumbent Chief Minister). He was the Home Minister during Anti-CAA protests and Bengaluru riots. He knows about the crimes of SDPI, KFD,” he said.
The BJP MP pointed out how SDPI has been mainstreaming Kerala-style murders in Karnataka. While demanding a ban on the Islamist outfit, he recounted how Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had also asked the government to ban the radical organisation.
Pratap Simha informed that SDPI has committed the most murders in Karnataka. He appealed to the State government to recommend the Centre to ban the outfit in the State. “Today, if you catch 4 people and say you will take action against them, then, it is not enough,” he further emphasised.
“The encounter which happened in Hyderabad after the infamous rape case must be repeated here, else they will not understand. Nothing else will work,” he urged the government to crush the anti-social elements with an iron hand.
Harsha murder case
On Sunday (February 20) night, Bajrang Dal activist Harsha was stabbed to death near Kamat petrol bunk in the Shivamogaa district of Karnataka. The Hindu activist was rushed to Mc Gann district hospital, where he succumbed to his stab injuries. He was a tailor by occupation and hailed from Seegehatti.
Harsha was a member of the Hindu organisation, Bajrang Dal, and was seen sporting saffron shawls to demand uniform dress code of schools and colleges. It has come to light that he was issued threats by Islamists in 2015 over alleged ‘blasphemous’ social media posts.
Meanwhile, the Karnataka Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister KS Eshwarappa had claimed that the Bajrang Dal activist was killed by ‘Musalman goondas’. So far, the police have arrested 3 people in connection to the case, including one Qasif and Nadeem.
