From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru

Bengaluru, Feb 6: The ruling Congress and Opposition BJP members were involved in a heated verbal clashes in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly on Tuesday over alleged killing of activists of BJP and outfits of Hindu organisations.

While BJP members claimed that 26 people belonged to the BJP and outfits of Hindu organisations such as RSS and VHP, the Congress members denied the charges and said there was no truth in the claims made by the BJP.

Initiating the debate on law and order situation in the State during the Congress regime, Leader of the opposition Jagadish Shettar claimed that activists of Popular Front of India (PFI) killed 26 BJP workers during the last few years.
Shettar demanded that the Strate government should ban PFI forthwith.

Shettar said the Congress has been practicing vote bank politics by withdrawing cases registered against criminals.

BJP member Basavaraj Bommai termed the Congress government’s rule as "Goonda raj" and accused the people associated with the PFI as being involved in the killing of party workers.

Home Minister B Ramalinga Reddy stoutly defended the government saying that more crime took place during the BJP rule and not during the present Congress regime.

Reddy said the BJP members have been propagating false propaganda and only 9 BJP/RSS workers were killed in communal clashes and the government has been taking tough measures to curb all communal violence.

Though rest of the people who died belonged to the Hindu community, their deaths occurred owing to personal enmity and other property related issues, the minister said.

Former Deputy Chief Minister and Home Minister R Ashok questioned the basis for certifying the deaths of BJP/RSS workers and said the Government has no powers to certify the deaths of BJP activists.

Ashok said the police were planting news stories related to deaths of BJP workers citing property and personal issues for murder.

The police had cited involvement in real estate business for hacking RSS leader Rudresh R to death in broad daylight near Shivajinagar in the City a year ago, he said.

However, Bengaluru Development Minister K J George asked "were the police planting stories during your (Ashok’s) tenure?" and wanted to know, "How do you know what the police are doing."