Rao regrets remarks on Yogi; BJP wants EC to act

BENGALURU: Taking strong objection to KPCC working president Dinesh Gundu Rao’s statement against UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath, state BJP leaders on Sunday urged the Election Commission (EC) to take action against the Congress leader.
State BJP general secretary N Ravi Kumar petitioned the EC, alleging Rao’s statement would create a law-and-order problem in the state.

During a candlelight protest organized by the KPCC to condemn the Kathua rape, in Bengaluru on Saturday, Rao had allegedly asked the people of Karnataka to thrash the UP CM with sandals if he came to the state again.

“This statement is certain to create disharmony between two sections of society. Moreover, issuing such statements is an offence under Section 125 of the Representation of the People Act. So, the EC must act against Rao,” the petition said.

The petition also alleged that police are biased towards the ruling party and their inaction in this case only confirms it. The party also urged the EC not to grant Rao permission to address the media or preside over any public meeting till elections are over.

Meanwhile, Rao, who now regrets his statement, said it was an emotional outburst over the plight of the rape victims. “My reaction to the Yogi Adityanath controversy. It was an emotional outburst in a speech on the plight of the rape victims and the complete apathy by Adityanath govt. I regret if it’s offensive but the abuse of law in UP is a serious issue,” Rao tweeted.

Wife Tabu flays Simha

Rao’s wife Tabu meanwhile, has taken strong exception to the “derogatory and objectionable reference” to her by Mysuru MP Pratap Simha in a video that has gone viral on social media.

Asking Simha to follow poetlaureate Kuvempu’s Vishwa Manava philosophy, she said, “If Simha is anguished by a statement made by my husband, Dinesh Gundu Rao, in his capacity as the working president of the Congress, Simha is free to join issue with him but to drag the womenfolk of the household into the controversy smacks of cowardice.”

“The MP’s reference to me as Begum Tabu only exposes his communal and narrow mindset. It is no secret that I was born a Muslim and am married to a Brahmin. We have been happily married for over two decades, symbolizing India’s unity in diversity,” she said in a statement.