‘M’luru violence BJP ploy to tarnish BSY’s image’

Former Congress minister U T Khader on Tuesday demanded a judicial inquiry into the police firing that killed two people in Mangaluru while claiming that the incident might have been an “internal BJP conspiracy” to tarnish Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa’s image.

“Whoever is responsible for violence needs to be punished, but the loss of life isn’t a small thing,” Khader said.

“There seems to be a conspiracy within the BJP to bring a bad name to Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa. Both the chief minister and the Home minister say they didn’t order firing. Then who did? Isn’t the police under the government’s control? That’s why we’re pressing for a judicial inquiry,” Khader said, adding that a CID probe might not be fair.

Khader clarified that the Congress was not against denying citizenship to those from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. “But the question, why are you making religion as the basis for this?” he said.

“There’ll be a social problem if you burden people living in forests, the uneducated and underprivileged with proof of citizenship.”

He also defended his recent statement that “Karnataka will burn” if the NRC is rolled out in the state. The BJP alleged that Khader was the reason the protests against the CAA turned violent. “Don’t waste your time in blaming me. My constituents know me; they aren’t fools. Also, why wasn’t BJP’s C T Ravi booked for warning of a Godhra-like situation? Or, Suresh Angadi for saying protestors should be shot at sight?” he said.