BJP MP castigates Siddaramaiah for 'ignoring' late Kargil hero

Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Tuesday castigated Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah for not giving state funeral to a Kargil War hero.

Kargil war hero Colonel MB Ravindranath based in Bangalore breathed his last on Sunday after suffering a heart attack, he was 59.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP said politicians like Siddaramaiah will do anything for vote bank politics but not what is legitimate.

"It is very unfortunate that he (Siddaramaiah) did not do what was a legitimate due to Col Ravindranath and his family," the BJP MP told ANI.

He added that there is a political hypocrisy and shamelessness that is becoming evident in Karnataka.

"For those people who represent a vote bank this kind of politicians (Siddaramaiah) will do anything. They'll do state funerals for certain type of journalists and other people who are relevant for them politically. But the basic sense of decency that a chief minister or head of a state government has to have for the people, sons of his state who have served and sacrificed heroically, is missing," Chandrasekhar said.

Earlier, he had tweeted that it was the same Karnataka government which provided state funeral to slain journalist Gauri Lankesh but it ignored Kargil War hero.

"Dear @siddaramaiah n @RahulGandhi - #GauriLankesh gets a state funerl so why not #ColMBRavindranath - hero of #Tololing n #Kargil war ? Is ur entire politics about this kind of shameless hypocrisy n politicking bereft of any shred of decency? @BJP4Karnataka @FlagsOfHonour (sic)," the BJP MP tweeted.

He told ANI that it is evident from yesterday's behaviour and conduct of the Karnataka government that what does not represent a vote, it does not care about it.

"I don't mind political parties going out and seeking votes. However, at the end of the day you must not forgot that this is a proud son of Karnataka; a proud son of Davangere. At a time when you are talking about Kannada pride; the youth of Karnataka want heroes like this and the state government ignores it completely," the BJP MP said.

Various ex-servicemen in Bangalore were reportedly miffed with the Siddaramaiah government's apathy over Col MB Ravindranath's death.