Daijiworld Media Network – Udupi (JD)

Udupi, Jan 9: The political row over the surrender of Maoists in the presence of Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has escalated, with BJP leader and Karkala MLA Sunil Kumar accusing the chief minister of supporting "urban Naxals."

In a sharp critique, Sunil Kumar labelled Siddaramaiah as a "politburo member of urban Naxals" and claimed that the state Congress had shifted its ideology "from Gandhism to Maoism." He further alleged that the Chief Minister’s official residence, "Krishna," had become a base for urban Naxals.

“Is it democracy to welcome those who once fired guns with flowers?” Kumar questioned, expressing strong objections to what he described as a "Naxal surrender farce." He added, “Those who register cases and send people to jail for opposing the government’s actions on Facebook are now welcoming gun-wielding individuals who spread fear with bouquets and samosas.”

Kumar also took aim at the financial aspects of the package, saying, “The state treasury is public money, not someone’s personal property acquired by grabbing land and drinking water. What gives the government the authority to announce arbitrary packages?”

He further questioned the surrender process, raising doubts about the extent of the chief minister’s involvement in what he called a “farce” orchestrated by urban Naxals following the encounter of Vikram Gowda.

In response to these allegations, Siddaramaiah defended the surrender programme, stating, “Even though we have differences over the methods used by these surrendered Naxals, none of them has misused taxpayers’ money or indulged in corruption. They did not fill their pockets through scams like the one involving the Parashurama statue.”