Union Minister Shobha Karandlaje and other BJP leaders landed in legal trouble after the Election Commission on Wednesday directed the Karnataka chief electoral officer (CEO) to take immediate and appropriate action on the DMK's complaint about alleged model code violation. An FIR has been lodged by the Halasuru Gate police under sections 143, 149, 188, 283, 290 and 268 against BJP leaders including BJP MP Tejashwi Surya, Karandlaje, party MP PC Mohan and 41 others in connection with the Nagarathpet incident. BJP MP Tejasvi Surya and several other party workers held a protest after a shopkeeper was beaten by over five men for allegedly playing devotional songs.
Earlier, the Madurai Police in Tamil Nadu also booked her for “promoting enmity” between different groups over her controversial remarks.
Congress' reaction to FIR against Karandlaje
Karnataka Minister and Congress leader Priyank Kharge said the BJP leaders are habitual in leveling baseless allegations, creating divisions in society and pitting one religion against the other.
The FIR has been registered because they are inciting people and making inflammatory speeches, he said adding the Union Minister is creating enmity between the two states which is not right.
"Mukesh's (shopkeeper who was attacked in Bengaluru) handwritten statement says that he had played songs and not devotional songs or Hanuman Chalisa. There are several videos where the Bengaluru South MP (Tejasvi Surya) is seen instigating people that it was Hanuman Chalisa. BJP MLA Uday Garudachar has himself said that it was a personal dispute," he added.
The poll body directed the CEO to take immediate action against her and also sought a compliance report on the matter within 48 hours.
Earlier, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) has sought action against Karandlaje for alleging that a person from Tamil Nadu was responsible for the IED blast at the Rameshwaram Cafe in Bengaluru on March 1.
During a protest in Bengaluru on Tuesday, she had said that "law and order in Karnataka has deteriorated. People who come from Tamil Nadu plant bombs here, people from Delhi chant 'Pakistan Zindabad' slogans and people who come from Kerala were involved in acid attacks."
However, she later apologised for her remarks and said she was retracting her comments.
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