Re-examine decision: BJP

BJP leader C T Ravi has demanded that the State government re-examine its decision to withdraw cases against the members of Popular Front of India (PFI) and Karnataka Forum for Dignity. If it fails to do so, the BJP will move the court, he said.

Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru on Monday, Ravi said the government had withdrawn cases against 1,600 members in 175 cases, with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah exhibiting “communalistic” traits.

He said the Home Department had advised the government to not withdraw cases against the said members, as they were hard-core criminals with terrorist links, and there was a threat to the law and order situation. Despite this, the government had gone ahead and taken this decision. Such decisions would demoralise the police department.
He said Siddaramaiah had done this to safeguard the ‘Ahinda’ votes.

Condemning the government’s decision to increase the fees for professional courses, he said poor students would be adversely affected, even as college managements would become richer. He said that despite the government fixing the fee limit, several colleges were violating this and demanded that the government should display boards on the fee structure outside every higher educational institution.

On his Facebook, former law minister and BJP MLA Suresh Kumar said, “The Karnataka government is committing a very serious blunder in withdrawing all the 40 cases against PFI cadre. This is a great disservice to the communal harmony, whose disturbance is the main motto of the organisation. Next step? Revoking the ban on SIMI?”