Bommai asserts his nationalist roots in Twitter spat with Siddaramaiah

Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai hailed the RSS, the BJP’s ideological parent, and traced his nationalist roots to his father, during an unprecedented verbal duel with Leader of the Opposition Siddaramaiah on social media.

Bommai locked horns with Siddaramaiah on Twitter with the two shooting tweets at each other. It is not common for a chief minister to reply to political attacks on a social media platform.

“My father has taught me values of public good and I think he has also guided you in a similar manner. My father (SR Bommai) was nationalist and I follow that all along. That is what RSS stands for. However, you fought Congress tooth and nail and now you are signing the chorus of the family,” Bommai said in a tweet to Siddaramaiah.

Read more: Karnataka CM Basavaraj Bommai under fire for remarks on moral policing

This was in response to a tweet by Siddaramaiah questioning Bommai’s decision to join the BJP.

“Mr Bommai, you have said that you need not learn administration or policing from me. Thank you. Had you learnt anything from your father Shri S R Bommai or me, you would not have joined a communal party just for power & support anti-constitutional activities,” Siddaramaiah said.

Their Twitter spat started with Siddaramaiah slamming Bommai for his comments on moral policing. “By justifying acts of moral policing by goons, you have admitted that you can’t maintain law-and-order,” he said. “What jungle law are you preaching by saying every action will have a reaction? Must you stoop so low to appease the Sangh Parivar to save your chair?”

Siddaramaiah also wondered if Bommai planned on closing the police department to hand over law-and-order to the RSS.

“All I said was in our society there will be a reaction to every action and law will take its own course unlike in your tenure Hindus were killed right left and center,” Bommai countered. “You need to hold a mirror to yourself. God knows how you sleep with blood on your hands.”

Bommai accused Siddaramaiah of presiding over the killing of Hindus when he was the CM. “...Hindus were killed on supari and many riots took place,” he said, adding that he need not learn administration or policing from “the icon of “anti-Hindus”.

Bommai went on to hail RSS as the “tallest nation building organization which treats every citizen equally”. He said his government and the BJP worked as per the Constitution and “not as per extra-constitutional bodies like NAC”.

Siddaramaiah hit back at Bommai for his “loose comments”.

“I can file a defamation case for this but I will just advise you to correct yourself,” the Congress leader said. “In a desperate attempt to please your RSS masters, you're deviating from facts & logic.”

Among the examples he cited was the alleged murder of Vinayaka Baliga.

“Naresh Shenoy, the main accused in the murder of Hindu RTI activist Vinayaka Baliga, is the best friend of your party president Nalin Kumar Kateel. Vinayaka Baliga was a hard Hindu & when will you ensure justice to his family,” he asked. “...you may be emotionally bankrupt and continue to light communal fires for political gains. But true Hindus are intelligent enough to see through your act of treason!”.

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