Bengaluru: Acting on a complaint by Karnataka election authorities, the Bengaluru police have booked BJP MP Shobha Karandlaje on charges of promoting enmity and hatred over her comment that Tamil Nadu was the training ground for the Rameshwaram Cafe bomb accused.
The state’s chief electoral officer (CEO) filed the police complaint within 24 hours of the Election Commission of India’s (ECI’s) direction to take appropriate action on a complaint by Tamil Nadu’s ruling DMK.
Section 123 (3A) of the Representation of the People Act refers to the promotion of, or attempt to promote feeling of enmity or hatred between different classes of citizen, while 125 refers to attempts to promote enmity on the grounds of religion, caste and race.
During a protest in Bengaluru Monday, Karandlaje said no case was registered for a week when some people raised the slogan “Pakistan Zindabad” in the state assembly on 27 February. The BJP is in the Opposition in Congress-ruled Karnataka.
As per ECI direction, DEO Bangalore has filed an FIR against Ms. Shobha Karandlaje, Union Minister and MP u/s 123 (3A), 125 and 123 (3) of RP Act at Cottonpet Police Station of Bengaluru on 21.03.2024.
— Chief Electoral Officer, Karnataka (@ceo_karnataka) March 21, 2024
“Secondly, they (the accused in Bengaluru’s Rameshwaram Cafe blast) came from Tamil Nadu, took training there, and placed a bomb here…placed a bomb in the cafe. Thirdly, people came from Kerala and poured acid on three students,” Karandlaje said.
The 58-year-old firebrand MP apologised the next day for her comments but the DMK filed a complaint against her for “generalising Tamilians”.
A divisive figure within the BJP, Karandlaje is often targeted for her proximity to former chief minister B.S.Yediyurappa.
A two-time MP from Udupi-Chikmagalur, Karandlaje has faced tremendous opposition from her own constituents, where workers initiated a “Go back, Shobha” campaign against her.
The BJP has fielded her from North Bengaluru for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, replacing former chief minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda. This too has led to much dissent among the local cadre.
Though this is not the first time that Karandlaje has made disharmonious statements, it is probably the first when she has been forced to apologise — largely to avoid denting her electoral chances and to salvage the Tamil Nadu BJP from the spot she put them in.
Also read: ‘Political controversy created’ — Centre defends appointment of 2 new election commissioners in SC
Her junior Parliament colleague and another firebrand BJP leader, Tejasvi Surya, too has been booked for hate speech.
An FIR was lodged against Surya and other BJP leaders, including 41, for speeches made during the Hanuman Chalisa campaign protests in Nagarthpete on Monday.
The leaders were booked under sections 143, 149, 188, 283, 290 and 268, according to news agency ANI.
On Thursday evening, the Karnataka poll chief said on X that they had also registered a case against senior BJP leader C.T. Ravi in a different case.
Just hours before the ECI took action, Congress leader Priyank Kharge had demanded action from the poll body. Kharge said the poll body says it is extremely serious about tackling the 4 Ms – muscle, money, misinformation and model code violations.
The @ECISVEEP says it is extremely serious about tackling 4 Ms:
Muscle, Money, Misinformation and Model Code violations.
Misinformation is probably the deadliest of the lot and @ECISVEEP isn’t geared up for it. If it intends to provide a level playing field for all political… pic.twitter.com/vqIUGw3LlI
— Priyank Kharge / ಪ್ರಿಯಾಂಕ್ ಖರ್ಗೆ (@PriyankKharge) March 21, 2024
He told ANI Thursday that it had become “a habit for the BJP to level baseless allegations, sow seeds of hatred in the society, pit one religion against another”.
“This is the only work going on. An FIR has been filed against Shobha Karandlaje and Tejasvi Surya because they are trying to pit two religions against each other, making provocative and inflammatory speeches and it is natural that a case has been filed. The central minister (Karandlaje) is making speeches that promote enmity between people of two states. This is not good,” Kharge told the news agency.
(Edited by Tikli Basu)
Also read: EC says J&K polls ‘right after’ LS — UT admin ‘unanimously’ against simultaneous elections