BJP submits complaint against Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah for terror jibe

BENGALURU: The BJP's Karnataka unit today submitted a complaint to the city police seeking action against Chief Minister Siddaramaiah for his "inflammatory" and "derogatory" remarks branding members of the party and RSS as "terrorists."

The party wanted Siddaramaiah to be made "liable for defamation and promotion of enmity" between citizens under Section 153A of the Indian Penal Code and under provisions of law.

A delegation led by senior BJP leader Suresh Kumar submitted the complaint, addressed to city police commissioner, stating that "false and malicious" aspersions had been cast against BJP members by the chief minister.


The complaint alleged that Siddaramaiah was misusing his position to spread "blatant falsehood" against the party with an ulterior motive of reaping political gains.

"He has knowingly made irresponsible statements to malign a national political party like the BJP," it said.

Siddaramaiah had recently alleged that BJP, RSS and Bajrang Dal have terrorists within their organisations.

"They are themselves like terrorists in a way. BJP, RSS and Bajarang Dal also have terrorists within," he had said, triggering a war of words between the ruling Congress and the saffron party ahead of the upcoming assembly polls.

Siddaramaiah, who came under intense attack from the BJP for his controversial remarks, yesterday called them "Hindutva extremists".

The complaint said Siddaramaiah who is "nervous about losing" in the state polls, has made "a baseless, false, frivolous and derogatory" statement which had not only defamed the party, but also incited groups and classes of the society against it.

"The entire effort of Siddaramaiah to issue such a controversial statement is to create enmity and hatred among people and against the BJP," it added.

In the complaint, BJP has made similar charges against the state congress working president Dinesh Gundu Rao.

Alleging that Rao has said BJP was like a terrorist organisation, it said this was "baseless, malicious, derogatory, defamatory and false."

The BJP demanded that Siddaramiah and Rao be made "liable for defamation and promotion of enmity between citizens" under IPC Section 153A and under provisions of law.

They should be booked "under the said provisions of law and action taken for the penal offences," the complaint added.