HDK sees Cong, BJP conspiracy in violence on coast

JD(S) state president H D Kumaraswamy on Friday said the incidents of communal violence in Mangaluru and other coastal parts of the state were conspiracy of the both the Congress and the BJP to polarise voters ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections.

 Kumaraswamy told reporters here that murders of Hindus and Muslims in the coastal districts were being politicised for gains by the two parties, which were encouraging anti-social elements. In recent murders, parents of Paresh Mesta of Honnavar in Uttara Kannada district and Deepak Rao of Mangaluru have denied that their children were associated with BJP or its affiliates, but the party has been claiming them to be their workers.

Provocative speeches by Union Minister Anantkumar Hegde and Mysore-Kodagu MP Pratap Simha warrant action against them, but no cases have been filed against them. Peace in the state has been compromised for politics, he said.