Bengaluru, Jan 5 (IANS): Karnataka Leader of the Opposition (LoP) R. Ashoka on Friday said that Lord Sri Ram will never pardon Chief Minister Siddaramaiah for arresting the Kar Sevak against false cases.
“Siddaramaiah, you blatantly lied that Srikanth Poojari has 16 cases against him. Sri Ram will never pardon you. Among the 16 cases against Poojari, 15 have seen logical conclusion,” he said.
He said that the remaining case is about his disappearance in 1992.
“There are only two possibilities. Either Siddaramaiah has lost control of his administration while invisible hands are misguiding him or he has willfully reopened the case to provoke the Hindu activists during the inauguration of Ram Mandir,” he said.
He said that if any of the two assertions are true then the Chief Minister has lost the morality to continue to remain the head of the state.
“Accept your mistakes, release Poojari, apologise to the people and submit your resignation. In order to maintain law and order of the state, make way for an efficient chief minister,” he urged the Chief Minister.
Siddaramaiah had earlier slammed BJP over Srikanth Poojari. He said Poojari -- who had flaunted himself as a devotee of Rama and a Kar Sevak -- is in fact a social miscreant in the eyes of the law.
“Poojari is someone who uses religion as a shield to protect his criminal activities. If such individuals are not arrested and are allowed to roam freely, even Lord Rama cannot forgive us,” the Chief Minister had said.
Siddaramaiah said that BJP leaders -- who are protesting in support of a person facing allegations of involvement in 16 anti-social activities including illegal liquor sales, gambling, and Matka -- should openly declare their party's support for all his criminal actions, or publicly apologise and withdraw their protest.
The Chief Minister said that in the year 2023, within the jurisdiction of the Hubballi-Dharwad Commissionerate, 36 people were arrested in connection with crimes including marijuana sales, theft, extortion, fraud, and gambling.
“Poojari is the 32nd person on this list. Should he be released just because he is a Kar Sevak or should he be arrested for being a suspect? The BJP's protest is not against our government, but against the country's law and constitution,” the Chief Minister had said.
He said that those involved in criminal activities claim to be protectors of religion and indulge in murder and extortion. “Will BJP leaders support them too?” the Chief Minister asked.
He said that the arrest of Poojari during the inauguration of the Ram Mandir is merely a coincidence.