Bengaluru: An FIR was filed against a BJP MLA on Friday for delivering a provocative speech in Belagavi.

 Sanjay Patil had courted controversy after saying the polls are “not about roads and drinking water but about Hindu-Muslim incidents”.

“This election is not about roads, water or other issues. This election is about Hindus vs Muslims, Ram Mandir vs Babri Masjid.”

 “Keeping a hand on my chest I say loudly, this is Bharat, this is the country of Hindus, and this is the country where (Lord) Ram was born. We are prepared to do anything to construct Ram mandir in Ayodhya,” he reportedly added.

A video of his remarks subsequently went viral on social media and evoked criticism from many quarters.

Patil is playing Hindutva card. He is not speaking about the developments because in last 10 years he did not take up any developmental works in his constituency, Laxmi Hebbalkar, Congress candidate, said.   

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New Delhi, Nov 22: In a left-handed compliment to Delhi Chief Minister Atishi, Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena on Friday said she is "a thousand times better" than her predecessor Arvind Kejriwal.

At the seventh convocation ceremony of the Indira Gandhi Delhi Technical University for Women here, Saxena said, "I am happy today that Delhi's CM is a woman, and I can confidently say that she is a thousand times better than her predecessor."

While making the comment, he took a glance at Atishi who also addressed the students.

The AAP and BJP have been at loggerheads over a range of issues, including governance and control of bureaucracy. Kejriwal tendered his resignation in September and said he would seek a "certificate of honesty" from the public in light of the corruption charges he faced. Atishi succeeded him as the chief minister.

Last year, Saxena ignored the AAP government's request to allow Atishi, who was then the education minister to hoist the national flag at the state-level Independence Day event.

A row brewed over the issue with the Aam Aadmi Party lashing out at Saxena after the General Administration Department refused to implement Minister Gopal Rai's direction to let Atishi hoist the tricolour in place of former then Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal who was in the jail in the excise policy scam.

In his speech, Saxena told the students, "As you move ahead, you have four guiding stars. First is your responsibility towards yourself, the second is your responsibility towards your parents and family while the third responsibility is towards the society and nation-building."

"The fourth responsibility is to prove yourself as women who have broken the glass ceiling of gender and stand on par with others in all fields," he said.

Kejriwal had proposed Atishi's name as the chief minister at a meeting of the legislature party and it was unanimously accepted.

When she took charge of the office, Atishi kept an empty chair besides hers for Kejriwal.

Addressing at the event, Atishi reflected on the progress made in the education sector under the AAP government.

"Education is the key to development. Take the example of the US, Canada, or the UK. They provided free education and schooling, and that is why they are developed countries today."

"Ten years ago, when we formed the government here, we saw the same dream. Since then, we have been spending 25 percent of our education budget on improving the sector," she said.