Karnataka - Mysore   

‘Muthalik should be externed from State’

MYSORE: The former Minister and Congress leader H. Vishwanath has called for the externment of Sri Rama Sene leader Pramod Muthalik from the State for fomenting communal tension, causing disharmony and disturbing the peace in society.

Addressing a press conference here on Tuesday, Mr. Vishwanath referred to Mr. Muthalik’s recent remarks on Valentine’s Day and the events preceding it and said, “What kind of a Government is this if it cannot control Mr. Mutalik who is running amok?”

Seconding the views of the former Legislative Council Chairman B.K. Chandrashekar that Mr. Muthalik should get married, Mr. Vishwanath extended an invitation to Mr. Muthalik to participate in a mass marriage to be held at K.R. Nagar on February 15. “We will welcome Mr. Muthalik in case he wants to participate in the mass marriage ceremony,” he said.

Mr. Vishwanath lashed out at Home Minister V.S. Acharya for his failure to maintain law and order in the State and said “either Mr. Muthalik should be externed or the Home Minister should be externed”.

He alleged that Mr. Acharya’s appointment as the Home Minister had the backing of the RSS. He said the rule of law had hit a nadir while communalism was on the rise under him and added that the Government had failed on all fronts.

Criticising the Government for its alleged failure to rein in the sene and other “anti-social” elements, Mr. Vishwanath said that if the BJP could not handle Mr. Muthalik how would they deal with international terrorists.

Referring to the Home Minister’s suggestion of appointing a media ombudsman, Mr. Vishwanath said there was dichotomy in the Government’s thinking. While the Chief Minister had dismissed the proposition, the Home Minister was issuing a contradictory statement.

“Is it wrong to criticise the Government in a democracy?” Mr. Vishwanath said, while criticising the Home Minister for nurturing thoughts of regulating and controlling criticism.

On his political future, Mr. Vishwanath said he was open to contesting from either Mysore or Mandya for the Lok Sabha elections and underlined his credentials by recalling his long association with the Congress.

“I have been a Minister and have served the party all my life and I am willing to contest,” he said. He dismissed speculations about the future of the former Deputy Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and said he continued to remain in the Congress and the high command would give him a suitable position.

Commenting on the State budget, Mr. Vishwanath said that many programmes and development works were announced for Mysore in the last budget but none of them had been implemented.

“We do not want mere assurances. The Government should implement its promises,” he said.

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