Congress will be uprooted if devotees of Hanuman rebel against it: Karnataka CM Bommai

Congress would be uprooted from the country if the devotees of Lord Hanuman rebelled against it, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said on Tuesday.

Reacting to the release of the Congress manifesto, in which the party announced it would ban organisations such as Bajrang Dal and Popular Front of India, Bommai also said it was improper for the Congress to draw parallels between Bajrang Dal and Popular Front of India.

“The devotees of Lord Hanuman are the Bajrangis of Bajrang Dal and the Congress Party has announced in its election manifesto that it would ban the Bajrang Dal. If the devotees of Lord Hanuman rebel, then the Congress will be uprooted from the country,” Bommai’s office quoted him as saying in a statement.

Read | Congress accuses PM Modi of hurting religious sentiments by equating Lord Hanuman with Bajrang Dal, demands apology

Bommai was speaking at a road show at Navalgund in Dharwad, where the party has fielded Shankar Patil Munenakoppa as its candidate.

Later, talking to reporters, Bommai said the Congress would not come to power and the question of banning Bajrang Dal would not rise.

“However, such promises show their (Congress) policy. The Bajrang Dal is a social and religious service association. PFI has done work against the country, indulged in terror activities and there are many cases and evidences against them. Hence, it is not proper to compare PFI with Bajrang Dal. Already PFI has been banned,” he said.

He said there was no question of banning the Bajrang Dal because state governments did not have the power to ban any organisation. Only Centre could do it.

Bommai also called the Congress manifesto a way to mislead people.