Bengaluru, June 27 (IANS) Commenting on the registration of FIRs against Karnataka BJP for criticising former PM late Indira Gandhi, Union Minister for Food, Public Distribution and Consumer Affairs Pralhad Joshi called her a Hitler and challenged the ruling Congress to initiate action against him.

Speaking to the media in Bengaluru on Friday, he slammed, “Most of those now allied with the Congress were jailed during Indira Gandhi’s Emergency. Let CM Siddaramaiah recall those days. Indira Gandhi was a dictator 24 hours a day.”

“I am also saying she was like Hitler. Let them file a case against me. We’ll see what happens,” Joshi challenged.

“The state government threatens to file a case if someone calls Indira Gandhi a Hitler. Didn’t Indira Gandhi behave like a dictator back then? How many people were killed during her authoritarian rule, how many died in jail, how many were tortured in police custody? Is the CM unaware of all this?” Joshi charged.

The Union Minister further lashed out at the Karnataka Congress government, accusing it of suppressing and curbing people’s freedom of expression.

Joshi criticised the state government’s move to bring a new law targeting those who incite communal hatred. He said it is nothing more than an attempt to cover up its own administrative failures.

“There are already existing legal provisions to act against those who provoke communal sentiments or deliver inflammatory speeches. So why is there a need for a new law?” Joshi asked, directly attacking Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, alleging that the CM is trying to curtail freedom of speech.

“They file cases against orator Chakravarthy Sulibele. What’s wrong with the SP there? If that’s the case, will SPs also start commenting on politics? Stop behaving like a puppet of the Congress,” Joshi warned.

“There is unrest even among the 136 Congress MLAs. That’s why some of them are turning against their own government. Corruption is rampant in the administration. The government can’t even develop a single drainage system properly. And it’s not just us saying this—Congress leaders themselves are admitting it,” he alleged.

“Senior Congress leaders like Basavaraj Rayareddy, B.R. Patil, and Home Minister G. Parameshwara have exposed the real state of the government.

“Parameshwara has openly said, ‘Neither I nor Siddaramaiah have funds; we must ask the Centre for development assistance.’ But once a controversy erupted, he changed his tune, saying, ‘I didn’t say that.’ This shows Congress’s frustration and is a tragedy for a resource-rich state like Karnataka,” Joshi added.

“BJP is the largest party in the country with the largest number of leaders and workers. So it’s natural for many to aspire for positions. The party high command will take appropriate decisions at the right time,” he said in response to speculation about a change in BJP state leadership.

“There will be no public discussion about any change in the BJP State President post. Right now, the organisation-building process is ongoing in all states—from the booth level to the state president level. The leadership will evaluate and decide accordingly,” he clarified.

“Opposition leader R. Ashoka had come to Delhi for some official clearance. I had arranged a meeting with Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan for him. Please don’t interpret this as having political implications,” Joshi said.

–IANS

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