Bengaluru, May 27 (IANS) Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister and state Congress President D.K. Shivakumar on Tuesday made a controversial remark after the BJP expelled two of its MLAs, saying the two “did not commit rape in Vidhana Soudha”.

Shivakumar said there are many FIRs and ongoing probes against some legislators. He alleged that some BJP legislators tried to infect the leader of the opposition with HIV and tried to trap former CM B.S. Yediyurappa, but no action was taken against them.

Ridiculing the BJP, Deputy CM Shivakumar made the remark in response to a question during a media interaction here and cited the case of BJP MLA N. Munirathna, who was earlier arrested in rape case.

The two expelled BJP MLAs are said to be inclined to Shivakumar.

The Deputy CM, without naming Munirathna, said in Kannada, “MLA S.T. Somashekar and MLA Shivaram Hebbar did not commit rape in the Vidhana Soudha. They have not injected HIV into victims. Did they commit any of these crimes? Let them keep ‘Muttu, Ratna (pearl, gem)’ with themselves.”

Munirathna, MLA from the RR Nagar Assembly constituency, has been out of jail after securing bail from the court. However, the Karnataka Police registered an FIR against him on May 21 on the charges of orchestrating the gang-rape of a party worker. The police have registered the FIR under IPC Sections 376D (gang-rape), 270 (malignant act likely to spread infection), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 354 (assault or criminal force to outrage modesty), 504 (intentional insult), 506 (criminal intimidation), 509 (insulting the modesty of a woman), and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention), against Munirathna and others.

The Congress has been demanding action against Munirathna by the BJP in this regard.

Dy CM Shivakumar and his brother D.K. Suresh had taken it as a matter of prestige to ensure the victory of Kusuma H., the Congress candidate in the last Assembly election. However, Munirathna had won with a margin of 11,842 votes from this constituency. Munirathna is alleging that Dy CM Shivakumar is trying to finish off his political career.

The BJP’s Central Disciplinary Committee on Tuesday expelled Karnataka MLAs S.T. Somashekar and Shivaram Hebbar from the party for a period of six years.

Both legislators had aligned themselves with Congress leaders and publicly criticised the BJP and its leadership.

Somashekar represents the Yeshwanthpur Assembly constituency in Bengaluru, while MLA Hebbar represents the Yellapur constituency in Karwar district. Both leaders were originally part of the Congress and joined the BJP in 2019 during ‘Operation Lotus’. They later served as ministers in the BJP government.

Somashekar had openly expressed his allegiance to Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, describing him as his “godfather in politics”. During the Rajya Sabha elections held in February 2024, Somashekar cross-voted while Hebbar abstained from voting.

–IANS

mka/dpb