Congress to complain against BJP MLA

KPCC women’s wing president Lakshmi Hebbalkar welcoming leaders from other parties into the Congress in Belagavi on Tuesday.

KPCC women’s wing president Lakshmi Hebbalkar welcoming leaders from other parties into the Congress in Belagavi on Tuesday.   | Photo Credit: - P.K. Badiger

Belagavi district Congress will file a complaint against BJP MLA Sanjay Patil for his alleged remarks that were likely to disrupt communal harmony, made in the last few days of his campaign.

Lakshmi Hebbalkar, KPCC women’s wing president and Congress candidate from Belagavi Rural, said on Tuesday that she and district president Vinay Navalagatti will file a complaint before the district election officer in a day or two.

Mr. Patil has been making speeches where he says the Congress is “a party of Muslims,” and that voting for it means “voting for Tipu Sultan.” “Such remarks are sure to disturb the communal harmony of Karnataka. He has also insulted me in his speeches. We will not keep quiet,” Ms. Hebbalkar told presspersons.

The KPCC has issued notices to three zilla panchayat members for anti-party activities. One of them, Mohan More, is now seeking nomination from the Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti for the Assembly polls. Two others – Krishna Anagolkar and Shankargouda Patil – have been engaging in other anti-party activities. They have been given a week’s time to reply, Ms. Hebbalkar said. She said she would seek their suspension from the party.

“We had asked for 22 seats for women, the senior leadership has given 14. We are satisfied,” she said.

She alleged that BJP MLA Sanjay Patil had never focussed on development of Belagavi rural constituency and therefore was bound to lose. “I have gained the sympathies of my voters, especially women,” she said. Her agenda would be all-round development of the constituency.

Ms. Hebbalkar, whose properties had been raided by the Income Tax Department a few years ago, said she had not received any further notices and that the old inquiry was still on.

She questioned BJP leader Shobha Karandlaje’'s silence on the rapes in Uttar Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir.

“Ms. Karandlaje has been speaking on each and every issue. Why is she silent now? I request her to speak out against the issue. She should clarify her stand,” Ms. Hebbalkar said.

Several BJP members joined the Congress rural unit on Tuesday.