BJP stages dharna in assembly over circular on withdrawing

BJP members in the Legislative Assembly today staged a dharna after government rejected their demand to withdraw a circular on dropping cases registered against minorities in all police stations across Karnataka.
The BJP members barged into the well with opposition leader Jagadish Shettar accusing the government of "minority appeasement and vote bank politics."
In his reply to the issue raised by BJP, Home Minister Ramalinga Reddy said that the government has already made an amendment in the earlier circular and it would stay.
"There shall not be any change or withdrawal of the circular," he replied to Shettar, who asked, "you just tell us whether this government is willing to withdraw the circular?"

On January 26, a circular by Additional Inspector General of Police Shivprakash Devraj was sent to 22 senior police officers in the state, asking them to file a report with documents with their opinion on withdrawal of cases against minorities in communal and other cases.
Defending the government's decision,Reddy said the circular asked for the opinion of police chiefs and was not at all vote bank politics.

He charged BJP with polarising voters ahead of the coming assembly elections.
Refuting allegations by Shettar, Reddy said the law and order situation in Karnataka is "sound" and far better than the previous BJP rule, where the number of crimes were more.

To a query by Shettar, Reddy said 11 deaths can be considered as political murders in contrast to 23 as claimed by BJP.
The remaining 12 murders were committed due to personal and property-related matters, he said.
Reddy alleged that 13 persons of the minority community were killed by the Bajarang Dal, Hindu Jagaran Vedikeand Vishwa Hindu Parishad.
He also charged the BJP with misleading thepeople by giving a political colour to some of the killings.