Rajeev Chandrasekhar slams DK Shivakumar's 'don't want Keralites' remark

Kerala BJP chief Rajeev Chandrasekhar lambasted Karnataka DyCM DK Shivakumar's "we don't want any Keralites" comment over the Kogilu eviction, accusing Congress of divisive politics and referencing "Italians" in a jibe at the party's leadership.

BJP Slams Shivakumar's 'Divisive Politics'

Kerala BJP chief Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Tuesday launched a scathing attack against Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, over the Congress leader's remarks against people of Kerala amid the Kogilu encroachment eviction row. DK Shivakumar, in a response to Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan's criticism of the eviction drive, said, "We don't want any Keralites. Let the CM do his job, we will do ours."

Hitting at Shivakumar's remarks, BJP leader Rajeev Chandrasekhar alleged that Congress divides people on the lines of caste, geography, religion, and language. "This Cong 'leader' is exactly what Rahul Gandhi ordered - For a party that talks of Bharat Jodo and the constitution, its politics is about dividing people using caste, geography, religion, language, etc. So by DK Shivakumar's standards of shameless politics, should Malayalees and Indians be saying we don't want Italians and half Italians 'interfering' in Kerala and India?" the Kerala BJP chief wrote on X.

Shivakumar Accuses Kerala CM of Politicisation

Earlier on Monday, Karnataka Deputy CM DK Shivakumar accused Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan of politicising the Kogilu encroachment evictions, fearing defeat in the upcoming Kerala Assembly elections. Speaking to reporters after inspecting the government land at Kogilu, which was cleared of encroachment, he said, "The state government had given the quarry land for solid waste management nine years ago. Some people have come and erected sheds in that land recently. Voters' ID cards had not been issued to people here as they were residing on government land."

Details on Eviction Notice

"The officials had given notice to the illegal occupants before clearing the encroachments. The local MLA has had discussions too. Some people had appealed to allow them to stay in the same place. As it is a solid waste dump yard, it is not healthy to stay, and hence the government has taken action to evict them," he said.

"Some are doing politics over this. Communist parties are fearing defeat in the Kerala elections and hence are trying to gain the sympathy of minorities. This is an internal matter of Karnataka; the CM of Kerala must get complete information on this before commenting. This is a solid waste-filling land, and it is not suitable for living. The minorities welcomed me when I visited the place," he added.

CM Siddaramaiah on Demolition and Relocation

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah detailed the ongoing demolition drive of illegally built houses in Kogilu village near Yelahanka in Bengaluru, stating that at least 164 sheds have been demolished after issuing notices to the residents. He stated that after the verification of all the residents, the genuine evictees who lost their homes will be accommodated at the Byappanahalli.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)