'Cong never blamed RSS, BJP'

Days after Rahul Gandhi’s jibe at saffron outfits over Gauri Lankesh’s murder invited wrath, Congress leader in the Lok Sabha Mallikarjuna Kharge on Saturday came up with a nuanced view. He said his party never held the BJP or RSS responsible for the killing. But he insisted that “an ideological conflict” was the reason for eliminating journalists like Lankesh.

“We have never said RSS or BJP is behind the case. At the same time, an ideological conflict exists and possibly, people are being killed due to that,” Kharge said.

Kharge said he had spoken to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Home Minister Ramalinga Reddy and pushed for a speedy probe to put the culprits behind the bars.

“Everyone should work unitedly to restore law and order. The culprits should be taught a lesson,” he said.