Wrong to say that we are not acting against those killing Hindus: Reddy

The BJP’s allegations that the state government is dragging its feet on taking action against those killing Hindus is factually incorrect, Home Minister Ramalinga Reddy said, accusing the saffron Opposition of misguiding people with wrong information.

Speaking to DH on Sunday, Reddy said people in the BJP should not be called Hindus, but members of the Sangh Parivar. Excerpts:

Can you share the case details of the killings of Hindus that the BJP is referring to?

The BJP is referring to 24 cases in Karnataka. In 12 of those cases, the deceased were BJP cadres murdered by minority groups. The rest are murders due to various reasons, including political rivalry, land disputes and illicit affairs. (BJP president) Amit Shah recently said the BJP would hunt the killers in ‘patala’, but I’d like to show him records that cases have been booked and action taken.

What have you got to say about the state’s crime rate, which the BJP claims to be high?

Unlike other politicians, I will quote National Crime Records Bureau data, which shows Karnataka’s crime rate dropped from 7% during the BJP’s tenure to 5%. Between 2013 and 2016, Karnataka has recorded 3,529 Posco cases, while Gujarat witnessed 3,606 cases and Uttar Pradesh 15,936 cases. Karnataka ranks 19th in terms of violence against women, while Delhi ranks number one. The state stands 22 in women abduction cases and 10th in IPC cases.

Has the Nalapad incident dented the Congress’ image?

Yes, it dented the image a little, but our party has recovered. It was an accident.

The JD(S) has joined hands with Owaisi’s MIM. Will it pose a security threat?

What the JD(S) has done is wrong. I assure you there will not be communal clashes or security lapses.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi called Bengaluru a garbage city. How do you respond?

Yes, Bengaluru was a garden city, but dreadful policy decisions of the previous governments have ruined it. They (BJP) has made Bengaluru a garbage city, but the Congress began afforestation, provided water and sanitary lines to 11 villages and began improving the infrastructure.

Your views on the state of the Bellandur Lake.

The BJP is equally and even more responsible for the lake’s condition. When S M Krishna was the chief minister, he had started a lake rejuvenation programme.

But successive governments did nothing about it. We formed committees and started working on clearing encroachments and desilting.

You recently called Narendra Modi a ‘Made in China’ product. Why?

He’s like ‘Made in China’ because he has no warranty and no guarantee. He vowed to bring back black money from foreign banks in 100 days, two crore jobs per annum, and put money in the bank accounts of people. None of these have happened.

You seem to have become more aggressive after becoming the home minister. Is it because of the post?

I was the transport minister and the issues were different. After I took over as the home minister, several law and order issues and crimes have happened.

I need to counter that. If I don’t speak up, the Opposition would characterise me as weak.