K'taka NRC: Moily says BJP trying to spread saffron agenda in South India

Senior Congress leader and former Karnataka chief minister M Veerappa Moily on Friday hit out at the B S Yediyurappa government for raising the issue of introducing NRC in the state, alleging that the BJP is using the "controversial" matter to spread its saffron agenda in south India.

Moily's attack came after Karnataka Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai said on Thursday that the BJP government in the state is mulling introducing the National Register of Citizens (NRC).

Hitting out at the Karnataka government, Moily said the state's economy has a huge floating population and migrant workers from various states.

"The creation of the controversial issue of NRC will divide the state and create more confusion and uncertainty. When there is no issue of NRC in south India or Karnataka, the BJP is inventing the most controversial issue to procreate its saffron agenda in Karnataka and south India," the former Union minister said in a statement.

This is only to divert attention from the miseries suffered by lakhs of flood victims in the recent devastating floods in the state.

Moily said there is absence of any assessment of the so-called migrants in the state.

"The stand of the government of Karnataka is ill-conceived, immature and mischievous," he asserted.

Moily also slammed the government over its response to the problems caused by floods in the state.

"Instead of resolving the issue of relief measures for flood victims of the recent deluge in Karnataka, the BJP and the state government is evading the problem," he said.

"Even a long wait of more than two months, the flood victims have come to the streets for the criminal neglect by the Centre and the state government," he said.