Yeddy inciting violence against Christians: Congress

NEW DELHI: In a strong attack on the BJP government in Karnataka, the Congress on Monday charged chief minister B S Yedyurappa with ���actively inciting further violence��� against Christians in the state.

The Congress asked the chief minister to discharge his constitutional responsibility and ensure that people belonging to minority community were safe.

The Congress also charged Karnataka���s ruling BJP with planning a policy, ���to create violence and communal polarisation to increase its vote bank,��� ahead of elections in a number of states followed by the general elections.
In this context, the party talked of BJP president Rajnath Singh���s comments that the Amarnath Yatra route should be nationalised.

The party has also launched a offensive against the BJP for the attacks on Christians in Orissa by alleged VHP activists.

Congress spokesperson Jayanti Natarajan, in response to questions, also talked about a ban on the Sangh Parivar outfit Bajrang Dal. The demand for such a ban has grown stronger with the Bajrang Dal allegedly involved in violence against Christians in Karnataka and the outfit���s alleged role in the Orissa attacks also making news. Taking of the Dal���s ���nefarious and anti-national activities,��� Ms Natarajan said: ���I think the time has come (to ban it).���

On Karnataka specifically, the party said the state government was a ���silent spectator��� to the ���terrible planned communal attacks against ordinary citizens, especially Christians in Mangalore and other places���. The party said the CM was ���exacerbating the situation��� by talking about ���conversion and reconversion��� at a time like this.

���The police are also aggressively attacking the minorities,��� Congress spokesperson Jayanti Natarajan said, indicating that this was happening at the behest of the BJP leadership in the state. Ms Natarajan said the BJP was living in the ���mistaken belief��� that such a ���planned strategy��� of communal polarisation would help it and added that this would be ���rejected��� by the people.

The attacks on Christian institutions continued in Karnataka on Wednesday, though agencies reported that a semblance of normalcy returned to Mangalore.