Congress terms Bommai ‘weak’, latter hits back

BENGALURU/MYSURU: The opposition Congress and the BJP on Saturday hit back at each other over the law and order situation in the state following the murder of BJP youth leader Praveen Nettaru. 

Slamming the state government, Congress leader Siddaramaiah said Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and Home Minister Arana Jnanendra should take responsibility for the situation, and termed Bommai as a weak CM.

Holding the BJP government responsible for the murders in Mangaluru and Suratkal, Siddaramaiah said the government “miserably failed” in maintaining the law and order situation.

“The intelligence department is handled by the Chief Minister. The murders in the state is a collective failure of the CM, Intelligence Department and the Home Minister. The government is not in a position to provide even basic safety and people are living in fear and have lost faith in the government,” he said.

Hitting back at the Congress leader, Bommai said 32 people were killed during the tenure of Siddaramaiah. “What was he doing then? It is not right to indulge in politics over every issue. His statements have no significance,” the CM told reporters in Bengaluru.The CM said activists of the PFI and SDPI were involved in the murder attempt on Congress MLA Tanveer Sait. But the Siddaramaiah government freed about 200 activists of these organisations and they are again indulging in heinous acts now, he said. The CM said the state government is taking swift action. Responding to allegations that the BJP is funding PFI and SDPI, the CM said, “This is a laughable statement.”