Does Siddaramaiah support PFI? CM seeks to know

Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on Tuesday accused Leader of the Opposition Siddaramaiah of “supporting” extremist Islamic group PFI, which has now come to be linked with the attack on former minister Tanveer Sait.

“It was when Siddaramaiah was chief minister that all cases against the PFI were withdrawn. There were skirmishes in Mysuru and Shivamogga, there was a murder and now there’s been an attempt on Tanveer Sait’s life. I want to ask Siddaramaiah, by protecting goondas and murderers and withdrawing cases against them, are you tacitly supporting the attack on Sait,” he said, speaking to reporters.

On Sunday night, Sait was stabbed by a man who is reportedly linked with the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), the political arm of the PFI. Sait, who represents the NR constituency, is undergoing treatment in Mysuru.

Yediyurappa also attacked Siddaramaiah in the wake of the December 5 bypolls. “Wherever you go, you have no one by your side. You speak whatever comes to your mind. You speak against our BJP candidates. People will decide what’s right and wrong (in the bypolls),” he said.

Siddaramaiah tweeted his response, chiding Yediyurappa for “politicising” the attack on Sait. “We have never nourished any communal group. Let there be stringent legal action against any group indulging in communal activities. It’s wrong on Yediyurappa’s part to make political statements on the back of an attack on a legislator,” he said.

BJP had led a campaign against PFI and SDPI before 2018 Assembly polls, accusing the Congress government of going soft on such outfits.