Action against Siddaramaiah unlikely before Zilla poll

Bengaluru/ New Delhi: Action against Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is unlikely before taluk and zilla panchayat elections are over. “The party will not do anything at least till the taluk and zilla panchayat elections are over,” said a source said adding, a change of leadership could be on the cards if the Congress loses these elections.

Meanwhile, new Kodagu district minister Dinesh Gundurao said the state government is contemplating ordering a judicial probe into the Madikeri clash.

Support for the BJP came from an unexpected quarter with noted historians Ramachandra Guha and S. Shettar objecting to the state government.

Meanwhile, joining the row over Tipu Sultan’s birth anniversary celebrations, the Shiv Sena on Thursday termed the 18th century ruler of the erstwhile Mysore kingdom as “ruthless” and accused the Congress government in Karnataka of following a “divisive policy”.

Shiv Sena MP Arvind Sawant also objected to parallels being drawn between Tipu Sultan and Maratha king Chhatrapati Shivaji.

“Tipu Sultan was a ruthless ruler who massacred Hindus and did not believe in the existence of any other religion except Islam. He had demolished temples and churches. And they say he was a good ruler?” Sawant said.

Sawant expressed surprise over Tipu Sultan being remembered “suddenly” so many years after Independence.

“The government has surprisingly and suddenly remembered Tipu Sultan now after 67 years of India's Independence. Today they remembered him? Why?” he asked.

“This is a divisive policy (of the Karnataka government),” he alleged.

“Governments in Karnataka, whether previous ones or current, are known for the Sultani reign. So, naturally, they will adore the Sultan”, Sawant said.
 

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