If Naxals were unhappy with Gauri, where's her security, BJP asks K'taka

New Delhi: The BJP on Friday questioned the Congress government in Karnataka on its failure to provide security to journalist Gauri Lankesh, who was murdered outside her house in Bengaluru.

Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said the state government should have protected her because Gauri worked to make Naxals surrender, thereby, incurring the wrath of their leaders.

"Indrajit Lankesh (Gauri's brother) is on record stating his sister was working actively to ensure Naxals surrendered... so was she doing it with consent and approval of the state government...? and if so, why was she not provided adequate security?" Prasad said at a press conference.

It had also been said that Naxalites were unhappy with her activities. "Why was there such a security failure by the Congress government in Karnataka?" he added.

Ravi Shankar Prasad also condemned the "malafide comments" on the "regrettable and unfortunate killing" of the journalist-activist.

Various party leaders, he added, had spoken out against the murder.

Also read: CCTV footage shows one gunman targeting Gauri Lankesh

Taking on Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi, Prasad asked why he had not questioned his party's government in the state. Rahul has already blamed RSS wing groups for killing the journalist, Prasad said. How could be a fair probe expected from the Congress government in Karnataka, he added.

Stressing that the BJP respects everyone's right to express their feelings and sense of repulsion, Prasad lashed out against "so called liberals of double standards" who remain silent on on the killings of RSS workers in Karnataka and Kerala.

"Why is that all my all liberal friends who speak so eloquently and strongly against the killing of a journalist... maintain conspicuous silence when so many RSS and BJP workers were killed in Karnataka and Kerala," he said.

RSS and BJP workers are also entitled human rights. This hypocrisy and double standards need to be exposed, he added.