In the 75th year of independence, the whole community had to bear the brunt of the action of some anti-social elements who stabbed Hindu activists and Mangaluru cooker blast on the flexing of Veer Savarkar. He was surrounded by investigations into incidents of violence by the Karnataka Police and the National Investigation Agency. The BJP government led by Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai only gave a message by visiting the homes of Hindu victims who were BJP workers, but did not even bother to meet Muslim victims.
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Despite the uproar by the opposition, the BJP government did not issue any clarification in this regard. Karnataka Congress President D.K. Shivakumar said that the Muslim community deserves this hatred as they have contributed equally in the upliftment of the country. While this set a tone for the assembly elections, the Congress also preferred Hindu candidates while allotting tickets in view of the polarization of votes affecting its chances of victory.
Senior journalist and author Mohammad Hanif said that Muslims have stopped blindly trusting the Congress party. He said that before the elections, Congress had demanded to give at least 30 tickets to Muslim candidates on 224 seats. Community leaders expected at least 22 tickets to be given. Congress is really scared of BJP.
We will have to win 150 seats… After all, out of fear, Rahul has given this target to the Congress in Karnataka.
He said that Muslims have blindly voted for Congress. They (Muslims) are looking for parallel alternatives wherever the Congress came third to prevent communal forces from coming to power, he says. Hanif said that religious leaders have discussed it and a decision has been taken. In constituencies like Channapatna and Dasarahalli, the JD(S) is a better option than the Congress. Not only Muslims, but also Jains, Buddhists or any representative of the 20 per cent population of minorities, the BJP did not find a place in the cabinet.
The Congress has given tickets to 14 Muslims out of 224 assembly seats. Most of them are senior leaders who can win on their own. The party has fielded Yasir Ahmad Khan Pathan from the Shiggaon constituency against Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai. Whereas BJP has not given ticket to any Muslim. JD(S) has made CM Ibrahim as the state president of the party. He has given tickets to 23 Muslim candidates this time. Meanwhile, amid tension in the state, the news of Tabassum Shaikh emerging as the topper in the second PUC (Class 12) board exam in Humanities stream has sent a positive message across the state.
Source: navbharattimes.indiatimes.com
: Language Inputs
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