Karnataka minister slams BJP 'chargesheet' on crimes in state

BENGALURU: Karnataka Home Minister Ramalinga Reddy on Monday dismissed as "baseless" Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad's claims that the law and order situation had deteriorated and there was a steep rise in farmer suicides in the state.
Prasad had said while releasing the state BJP's "chargesheet" against the Congress government on Sunday that there was a three-fold increase in crimes in Karnataka and a rise in the number of farmer committing suicide in the last three years.

Reddy said between 2008 and 2013, when the BJP ruled the state, the number of criminal cases registered was 1,12,213 whereas 1,13,939 such cases were reported from May 2013 to February 2018.

"There is a slight increase in crime compared to the BJP regime but it is not proportional to the increase in Bengaluru's population by 35 lakh. The Union law minister does not know the law... His statements are baseless," Reddy said.

He also questioned the figures on suicides by farmers released by the BJP.

Reddy said when the state was reeling under a drought, the Centre did nothing to help Karnataka.

"We waived agriculture loans worth Rs 8,500 crore to help farmers and we did not receive a penny from the Centre to assist the farmers," he said.

"The BJP leaders should know that Maharashtra, which has a BJP government, still tops in the number of farmers committing suicide," Reddy said.

The BJP had said there had been a rise in atrocities on Dalits, women and children, attacks on officials and killing of Hindutva activists in the state under Congress rule.