Mallikarjun Kharge: What's he apologising for?

Kalaburagi: Senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge admitted on Saturday that he was unhappy with  Minister for Water Resources D.K. Shivakumar apologising for the Siddaramaiah government’s efforts to give the Lingayats an independant religion tag with byelections round the corner.

Mr Kharge, who was speaking to reporters here, was at first reluctant to  comment on the Lingayat issue saying he was not part of the government that took the decision.

But when the questions persisted and he was asked whether Mr Shivakumar was right in apologising for the last government’s moves on the religious issue for the community, Mr Kharge acknowledged that it was not proper for the Minister to have raised the subject when by-elections were due in the state. 

“We seek votes on our party’s manifesto. If a seperate debate is held on the issue of religion, I will join it,” Mr Kharge  said.

Objecting to the protests against the entry of women into the Sabarimala temple, the Congress leader said, “The Constitution is supreme. We must reject practices that are not good for society. Instead of opposing the entry of women, we must honour the verdict of the Supreme Court on the issue.”

Mr Kharge, who is leader of the Congress in the Lok Sahba, demanded a  high level inquiry into the Amritsar train tragedy and said the police should have taken precautions when a big event was being organised adjacent to the railway tracks. “Action should be taken against both the railways and the police,” he asserted.