Belagavi, Oct 16 (IANS) Amid the ongoing controversy over demands for ban on the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in Karnataka, BJP MP Jagadish Shettar on Thursday claimed Siddaramaiah government has completely collapsed on both economic and law & order fronts and hence an unnecessary issue was being raised to divert the public.

Jagadish Shettar, speaking to IANS said, “In Karnataka, under the leadership of Siddaramaiah, the administration has completely failed. The law and order situation has collapsed, and even the financial position is very critical. To divert the attention of the people, unnecessary issues are being raised.”

He added, “Earlier, Siddaramaiah initiated the caste census to distract the public. Now, another issue has been raised, which is open criticism of the RSS. There is no real dispute. The RSS is a patriotic organisation that works to unite the nation. This is all an attempt to spread confusion and propaganda against the RSS. Currently, there are 80,000 RSS branches functioning across the country.”

Shettar also claimed that there is an ongoing internal conflict between Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar over the chief ministerial post.

“This shows the growing influence of the RSS. The propaganda against it is unnecessary and politically motivated. It is being done to shift focus from administrative failures. The infighting between D.K. Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah is worsening the situation, and day by day, the administration is collapsing,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Congress-led government in Karnataka re-released an old circular issued by the office of the Commissioner of the Karnataka Public Instruction Department, which forbids using government school grounds for private purposes.

The circular, dated February 7, 2013, clearly states that government school grounds and premises should not be used for private purposes or for activities other than academic ones.

Sources in the CMO confirmed that the release of this old circular was in response to Kharge’s letter demanding a ban on RSS activities in public places, including schools and colleges.

The circular, signed by then Commissioner S.R. Umashankar, stated that when a request was made to allow the use of government school grounds in Chamarajpet, Bengaluru, it was found that such premises should only be utilised by school children for daily activities such as sports, physical education, and academic purposes.

“In this background, school premises and grounds should not be used for activities unrelated to academics or educational objectives. It is being directed that no permission should be issued for such purposes,” the circular said.

–IANS

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