BJP lodges complaint with EC over Sonia Gandhi’s ‘Karnataka sovereignty’ remark

BENGALURU: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday lodged a complaint with the State Election Commission against Congress leader Sonia Gandhi for her remarks on “Karnataka’s sovereignty”, and demanded action against her.

Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Shobha Karanadlaje, who lodged the complaint, said, “We have registered a complaint against Sonia Gandhi for her remarks made in Hubballi on ‘Karnataka’s sovereignty’ which is an insult to nationalist Kannadigas. She spoke the language of the tukde-tukde gang and it has become for the Congress to speak about breaking the country. They tried to separate Kashmir and now they are trying to do the same in Karnataka.”

Shobha Karandlage at the Election Commission office to lodge a complaint against Sonia Gandhi.

During his campaign speech in Mysuru on Sunday evening, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, without naming Sonia Gandhi had said, “The Congress says that they want to protect the sovereignty of Karnataka. It means that Congress is advocating for Karnataka’s separation from India. I had never thought that the disease of the ‘tukde tukde’ gang will reach this high in Congress.”

He further accused the Congress party of “insulting” the Kannada freedom fighters who participated in India’s freedom struggle. “Congress has a history of dividing brothers, making states fight among themselves, and leaving no stone unturned in inciting communal violence. Whenever Congress party comes to power, the confidence of terrorists and criminals get emboldened. They are assured of being protected by the Congress party. We have seen how Congress has repeatedly come in support of terrorists”, he said.

Shobha Karandlaje said, “Sonia Gandhi used the same language the ‘tukde-tukde’ spoke on the JNU campus. Former Army Chief Gen Thimmayya had spoken about national security, but the Congress is trying to break the country. They had distanced Kashmir from the rest of India and that state even had a separate flag and insignia. Only after repealing Article 370, Jammu and Kashmir was fully integrated with the country”.