Congress practices 'appeasement' politics: CM Bommai

Vijayapura (Karnataka) [India], September 30 (ANI): Karnataka Chief Minister Basavraj Bommai on Friday took a swipe at the Congress and said it was 'unfortunate' that the Leader of the Opposition in the State Legislative Assembly Siddaramaiah was seeking a ban on the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
Addressing the media, Bommai said, "The Congress has no basis for asking why Popular Front of India (PFI) has been banned because it was the same party that had withdrawn the cases booked against PFI. To cover up their mistakes, the Congress leaders are demanding a ban on RSS but they do not say why it should be banned. The RSS has built several institutions for poor, downtrodden and destitute people, and rendered help during natural disasters. The RSS is an organisation which is trying to create awareness on patriotism. I feel Siddaramaiah should not have stooped to this level".
Bommai said that Congress practises the politics of appeasement.
He further said that the Congress government had withdrawn the cases filed against an organisation (Popular Front of India) which had attempted murder of a Congress MLA and no example is required to show the appeasement politics of the Congress.
Accusing Congress, he further said that the attitude of the party resulted in the birth of organisations like PFI and KFD.
He said that he will not react to Janata Dal(S) president C.M. Ibrahim's statement on the ban on PFI likening it to a marriage and a divorce, saying that that is all Ibrahim knows about.
"Ibrahim is an expert only in marriage and divorce but this is a serious issue. The Government of India will take further course of action after seeing the activities for the last five years," Bommai said.
Chief Minister refuted the allegations of pulling down the posters related to Congress 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' saying that his party did not need to do this.
Notably, a controversy broke out earlier in the day as posters of Rahul Gandhi that were put up in Gundlupet to welcome him were torn down by unidentified people.
State Congress chief D K Shivakumar hit out at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in the state saying that tearing down posters would not scare away his party's workers.
"They have torn down all our banners and flex, they may think that this is a very good job. Even if they stab or shoot us, no Congress worker is going to get scared. This flex, if I make up my mind, in the entire state they (BJP) will not be able to conduct programmes anywhere. Their flex, banners and programmes. The lesson they are trying to teach us, Congress has learnt a lot more than them," he said.
Bommai, hitting out at the Yatra, said, "Those who divided India into two countries are now doing this yatra. The people have not forgotten who had created unrest in society. The irony is that the same party is doing 'Bharat Jodo' for its survival in politics."
Bommai also said that he, along with former CM B.S. Yediyurappa would jointly tour the state after Dasara festival.
On the fight among Congress leaders for the post of AICC President post, Bommai said it was an internal matter of the Congress and did not want to comment on it. However, he added that this may be because the election for the party president was happening for the first time.
The CM recalled his 30 years of association with the late Umesh Katti and said he is visiting Vijayapura for the first time in the absence of Katti. "Late minister had dreams of the development of Vijayapura and Belagavi districts and that will be fulfilled by the government," he added. (ANI)