Siddaramaiah flays BJP chief Nadda for politicising Karnataka woman assault
Bengaluru, Dec 15: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday slammed BJP national president J P Nadda for attempting to derive political mileage from the Belagavi incident wherein a woman was paraded naked and thrashed after her son eloped with a girl from the same community and termed it 'shameful'.
Siddaramaiah's attack comes following the BJP's statewide demonstrations and the party sending a 'fact-finding team' of four MPs to Belagavi on Saturday.
In a strongly worded statement, the Chief Minister said the BJP's rule in Karnataka witnessed multiple instances of violence against women, but Nadda has forgotten this to politically target the Congress government. Unfortunately, he is using the recent incident of violence against a woman in Belagavi for politics.
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"The violence inflicted on a woman and her family members in Belagavi is highly condemnable. It is shameful that BJP President Nadda is exploiting such an incident for political gain," Siddaramaiah said.
As soon as the Belagavi incident came to light, state Home Minister G Parameshwara and Minister of Women and Child Welfare Laxmi Hebbalkar visited the survivor's home not only to console her but also to provide compensation, Siddaramaiah explained.
The police apprehended the culprits within 24 hours and put them behind the bars, he added.
"I am personally overseeing the investigation of this case. Our government is committed to ensuring that such inhumane acts do not recur by meting out strict punishment to the guilty," Siddaramaiah said.
Noting that the state BJP leaders are also satisfied with the measures taken by the state government, the Chief Minister alleged that Nadda's sudden awakening and his attempt to stir up this case four days after the incident took place reeks of political motive rather than genuine concern for women.
Citing the National Crime Bureau (NCRB) report, Siddaramaiah said there were 17,813 cases of violence against women in Karnataka during the last year (2022) of BJP rule, compared to 14,468 cases the previous year in 2021.
"What was the BJP National President doing then? Was he in exile? Did he not notice the increasing cases of violence against women under their own government year after year?" the Chief Minister asked.
"From Manipur to Gujarat, from Uttar Pradesh to Madhya Pradesh, wherever BJP is in power, the cases of violence against women are rising, as per the NCRB report. These cases prove that BJP is inherently anti-women," Siddaramaiah said.
He further said the internal disputes in the state BJP are escalating while denting the party's reputation and senior leaders are making serious allegations against the party chief and opposition leaders.
Siddaramaiah dared Nadda to send an investigative committee to look into these allegations.
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BJP central leadership backs Kerala chief Surendran amid Palakkad bypoll loss
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): The national leadership of the BJP on Monday threw its weight behind the Kerala state unit and its chief K Surendran despite a major vote loss in the Palakkad Assembly bypoll, asserting that the party had put up a "good fight" in the recently concluded election.
Rejecting reports that Surendran had expressed a willingness to quit taking moral responsibility for the defeat in Palakkad, considered one of its strongholds in Kerala, the BJP accused the CPI(M)-led LDF and the Congress-led UDF of "spreading rumours."
"Nobody is resigning neither party has sought anybody's resignation. I think this will settle the matter," senior BJP leader and party's in-charge Kerala, Prakash Javadekar, said in a post on 'X'.
Youth Congress state president Rahul Mamkootathil won the Palakkad seat with a margin of over 18,000 votes, even making inroads into BJP stronghold areas, delivering a shock to the saffron party, which had been hoping to win the seat after finishing second in the past few elections.
Adding to the BJP's woes, the Left improved its performance in the seat, narrowing the gap with the party.
"BJP has given a good fight in recently concluded by-elections in Kerala and got a massive mandate in Maharashtra. We will win Palakkad and many more assembly seats in 2026. We are here to make a difference in Kerala politics. People are looking up to BJP," Javadekar said.
The senior leader claimed that more than 15,00,000 voters have become voluntarily members of the BJP, by giving missed call and full information.
"Our membership drive will continue vigorously," Javadekar said.
His statement came amidst reports that the defeat had triggered widespread dissent within the Kerala BJP against Surendran.
Surendran's critics within the party allege that he unilaterally decided to field C Krishnakumar, his preferred candidate, for the Palakkad seat.
Before the candidate's announcement, some senior leaders had publicly advocated for the firebrand party leader Sobha Surendran.
In protest against Krishnakumar's candidature, BJP's popular television face Sandeep G Varier resigned and joined the Congress just ahead of the by-poll, delivering a significant blow to the saffron camp.
In the by-poll, BJP's Krishnakumar secured 39,549 votes (28.63 per cent), while Congress candidate Mamkootathil won with 58,389 votes (42.27 per cent). CPI(M)-backed P Sarin garnered 37,293 votes (27 per cent).
Surendran sought to downplay the setback, stating it is common for the BJP to see reduced votes in Kerala by-elections.
He claimed that many votes for the BJP candidate "Metro Man" E Sreedharan during the 2021 Assembly polls were apolitical, with cross-party support. However, he admitted, "In Palakkad, there was a decrease in the number of votes. We will introspect on it."
