Bengaluru, Feb 16 (Representative) Karnataka Congress on Thursday filed a complaint against state education minister Dr CN Ashwath Narayan for allegedly using a derogatory remark against Congress leader Siddaramaiah. Narayan had asked people to make a choice between followers of Tipu Sultan and Veer Savarkar in the upcoming assembly elections. He also went on to urge the people to rout Siddaramaiah as Vokaligga chieftains had routed Tipu. “Do you want Tipu or Savarkar? Where should we send this Tipu Sultan (Siddaramaiah)? What did Uri Gowda, Nanje Gowda do? You should break (rout) him the same way,”he said, addressing a rally at Mandya on Tuesday. “I urge the people to take a pledge and decide whether you want the offspring of Tipu, Ram devotees or Anjaneya devotees in this land. Those who love Tipu should not remain in this land and only those who perform bhajans of Ram should,” he said addressing a rally at Yelburga in Koppal district. These remarks came on the same day when Karnataka BJP President Nalin Kumar Kateel asked people to choose between offspring of Tipu Sultan and devotees of Lord Ram, in the upcoming state elections this year. The complaint has been lodged with Malleshwaram police alleging that Narayan had urged people to finish him off as Vokkaliga chieftains did to Tipu.
Reacting to Narayan’s comments, Siddaramaiah challenged him to get a gun for himself and not instigate people. “Higher Education Minister @drashwathcn has appealed to people to kill me like how Tipu was killed. Aswath Narayan, Why are you trying to instigate people? Get the gun yourself,” tweeted Siddaramaiah. Further criticising Narayan, Siddaramaiah said love and friendship cannot be expected from leaders of a party that “worships the murderer of Mahatma Gandhi”. “I am not surprised by @drashwathcn’s call to kill me. How can we expect love and friendship from the leaders of the party that worships the murderer of Mahatma Gandhi?” tweeted Siddaramaiah. He also questioned the Basavaraj Bommai government’s silence on the issue. “It is surprising that no action has been taken against a minister who has openly appealed to people to kill. This shows that @CMofKarnataka, @BSBommai, Home Minister @JnanendraAragaand their incompetent cabinet is sleeping and is in agreement with Ashwath Narayan,” he tweeted. Siddaramaiah demanded the sacking and arrest of Narayan for his remark. He tweeted: “@CMofKarnataka @BSBommai should immediately initiate action to sack him from the cabinet & arrest. If no action is taken, it only means that BJP is in agreement with the appeal or they think Ashwath Narayan has become ‘Mentally Unstable’.”