Pics: Spoorthi Ullal
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SB)

Mangaluru, Mar 6: JD(S) state president H D Kumaraswamy on Tuesday March 6 attacked the BJP and the Congress and said that both the parties have been misguiding the people with statements on religion and community in the run-up to the Assembly elections in the state.

Addressing the media here ahead of JD(S) convention in the evening, Kumaraswamy said, "With elections approaching, Congress and BJP are misguiding the people with statements on religion and community. They are not speaking about development in the state.

"BJP's politics and election strategy are only based on murders. BJP is arguing that Hindus are being murdered in the state under the Congress patronage. At the same time, home minister released a list with details of people killed by Hindus and Muslims. By giving such numbers he is trying to incite both communities to settle scores.

"BJP and Congress did nothing for the development of the coastal region. Both are the main sources of communal violence in this region. They are doing politics through communal polarization," he alleged.

"Now BJP has started two marches - one from Ankola and another from Kushalnagar. Today it is going conclude at Nehru Maidan with a speech by UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath. The continuous visits of Yogi to the state indicate that BJP does not have a capable leader in the state to face the people. When they were in power they proved themselves as huge 'Bhogis'. Later people threw them out. Now they do not have courage to face the people, so they are calling one Yogi from another state."

Taking another dig at the BJP, he said, "BJP is giving beautiful names for its programmes. The name 'Jana Suraksha Yatra' is also very attractive. But it is not suitable a BJP programme because a man who is not even capable of protecting infants in his state is participating in this event. Yogi failed to save children who were admitted in hospitals in his state. Then how can he give protection to the people of this region?

"Ninety percent of the people in the coastal region are intellectuals. So my kind request to the people of this region is, please do not listen to these fake protectors. They are only the protectors of robbers, frauds and communal people who spread hatred. Here Congress is also doing the same. So keep both these parties away from this region. You have the opportunity to stop them," he told people through the media.

Attacking the Congress, he said, "Chief minister Siddaramaiah has given a statement that Congress does not require the support of JD(S). But I want to tell him, we did not go to his office offering support. His party itself begged our support to retain power in many local body elections across the state. So we will face the election independently and will show our strength, and prove who we are."

JD(S) state general secretary B M Farooq and former MLA Amarnath Shetty were present.

After the press meet, an interaction with intellectuals was held at Hotel Taj Gate Way.