‘Siddaramaiah killed Hindus’ jibe; Cong demands apology from MLA Harish Poonja

Team Udayavani, May 25, 2023, 6:28 PM IST

MLC Harish Kumar on Thursday said that the party has decided to file a defamation case against MLA Harish Poonja, accusing him of defaming Chief Minister Siddaramaiah by alleging his involvement in the murder of 24 Hindu workers during the BJP’s election victory celebrations in Beltangady.

In a press conference, Harish Kumar said, “The BJP government’s failure to investigate the alleged murders during their tenure raises questions about their priorities. It seems they were too preoccupied with addressing corruption issues. On the other hand, recent incidents involving Congress leaders, such as the discovery of Rs 64,000 in their vehicle at 3 am and the subsequent FIR for accepting bribes from voters, indicate the pervasive corruption within their ranks.”

He further said, “The promises made in the Congress party’s manifesto will soon be fulfilled, contrary to claims by BJP leaders that we are failing to deliver on our commitments. State development should not be narrowly measured by road construction alone. I must highlight that recent events in Puttur demonstrate the BJP’s opposition to Hinduism, despite their claims of being aligned with it.”

Harish Kumar also announced that MLA U T Khader had been chosen as the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly and extended his congratulations to Khader for his hard work.