Karnataka Congress chief BK Hariprasad sparks row with 'Gandhi or Godse' remark

Karnataka Congress president BK Hariprasad on Monday (June 29) courted controversy, saying that the country was at a juncture where people have to decide whether they will adopt the politics of Mahatma Gandhi or Nathuram Godse.

'Gandhi or Godse'

Addressing Congress workers at the party's 'Congress with You: Towards Protecting Your Vote' programme in Mysuru, Hariprasad warned against those who resort to “religious politics”.

In a veiled dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Karnataka Congress chief further stated that people go to jail for “killing cattle”, but those who kill humans become Prime Ministers and Chief Ministers."

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"We are now at a juncture where we have to decide whether we adopt Mahatma Gandhi's politics or that of Godse, who assassinated him. We all do politics; I do not deny that. Doing politics is one thing, but we must be cautious of those who do religious politics,” said Hariprasad.

Veiled attack on Modi

“Today, the situation is such that those who kill cattle go to jail, whereas those who kill humans become Prime Ministers and Chief Ministers in this country. A true Congressman should not allow this to happen," he added as quoted by ANI.

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Lashing out at the BJP and the RSS, the Congress leader accused them of not believing in the Constitution, adding that they used the SIR for political motives to remove the names of those from the voters’ list whom they did not want.

"The Bharatiya Janata Party and the RSS do not believe in the Constitution. They have no respect for the Tricolour. They are against the principle of secularism. For their own advantage, they are carrying out this 'Special Intensive Revision' to delete the names of all those they do not want from the voter list," he added.

Calls for vigilance

Calling on party workers to stay engaged throughout the voter verification process, Hariprasad asked Congress cadres to closely monitor the ongoing revision of the electoral rolls and ensure there were no lapses during the exercise.

"We have organised these programmes under the banner 'Congress with You: Towards Protecting Your Vote' regarding this Special Comprehensive Revision of the voter list. As the house-to-house exercise begins, our Booth Level Officers (BLOs) and others associated with the process must remain vigilant. Ensure that enumeration forms are filled correctly and submitted without any mistakes or omissions,” he added.