Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah.
Credit: DH Photo/Pushkar V
The state government is committed to protecting minorities in the state by curbing communal incidents and taking strict action against those creating communal discord, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said on Sunday.
He was speaking at a felicitation programme for Rajya Sabha MP and Congress Working Committee member Syed Naseer Hussain.
The country today has been usurped by communalists and it is the duty of every secular person to bring back an inclusive space. He alleged that the BJP was always trying to stir people’s passions by raking up communal issues to come to power. They now want to call India as Bharat. The same Narendra Modi initiated ‘Make in India’ and ‘Skill India’, he said, taking a dig at the prime minister. “All of us are Bharatiyas, not just Narendra Modi,” he quipped.
It is not possible to turn India into a ‘Hindu Rashtra’ as this country belongs to every citizen, he added.
Meanwhile, Deputy CM D K Shivakumar also reiterated the party’s commitment to protect minorities. “The BJP government lodged false cases against minorities and the poor,” he said. Until now the minorities lived in an environment of fear. The Congress government will stand by the marginalised sections, he assured. He also urged for the community’s support for 2024 and 2028 elections.