Bengaluru, Sep 28 (IANS) Responding to Congress criticism of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and Leader of the Opposition in the Karnataka Legislative Council, Chalavadi Narayanaswamy, on Monday said the sticks carried by RSS members during route marches were part of their ceremonial uniform and had never been used to commit injustice or attack anyone in the organisation’s 100-year history.
Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, Narayanaswamy said, “It is not a weapon. It is only part of the uniform worn during the route march. In 100 years, no one has been cheated, wronged or deceived by carrying the uniform. No one has been beaten with that stick.”
Taking a dig at the Congress, he asked whether anyone could drive people out of Bengaluru, adding that the party’s earlier methods belonged to a different era. “Those were the days when people used to roam around carrying swords. Can they do that now?” he asked.
Narayanaswamy alleged that, apart from what he described as fabricated statements by the Congress against the RSS, no cases were pending against the organisation.
He said Home Minister Priyank Kharge, a strong opponent of the RSS, had himself stated that no cases were pending against it. He also questioned the value of recent remarks made by senior Congress leader B.K. Hariprasad.
He criticised the Congress over the Vande Mataram controversy, saying, “This is not the era of swords. This is the era of Vande Mataram. We used to sing the entire song in the Assembly. Why did the Congress stop it?”
Targeting KPCC president B.K. Hariprasad, Narayanaswamy alleged that his political style was based on “hitting, beating and cutting.”
He further alleged that Congress workers had been sent to throw stones at his residence over his remarks on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Narayanaswamy claimed that Karnataka had a large number of Bangladeshi nationals after West Bengal and alleged that Congress leaders were sheltering them.
He said some were working in coffee estates and hotels and claimed their presence in Bengaluru, Shivamogga, Dharwad and Kalaburagi.
Referring to the SIR exercise in Kerala, Narayanaswamy said Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala had stated that the exercise benefited the party by preventing bogus voting by Communists. He questioned why the Congress was not alleging “vote theft” in Kerala.
He also alleged that the Congress had not raised the issue of vote theft after winning 136 seats in Karnataka or after winning in Telangana.
“There has been no vote theft in the country. Voters did not vote for the Congress thieves,” he said.
–IANS
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