Karnataka Election 2023 Manifesto promise to ban Bajrang Dal: 'Congress is taking revenge on PFI's behalf'
"This Congress manifesto is propounded by the PFI, and prepared at the behest of the PFI sympathisers and its ecosystem," the Assam Chief Minister said.
FollowThe Congress assurance in its manifesto for the 2023 Karnataka Assembly Election to ban the Bajrang Dal if it comes to power has drawn sharp criticism from the Bharatiya Janata Party, which termed the Congress document as propounded by the banned radical outfit Popular Front of India and prepared at the behest of the banned organisation's sympathisers and its ecosystem.
"PFI is already banned. If you see the history of Karnataka, the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government has released PFI detainees. They even withdrew cases against the PFI members. Now, the ban on PFI is already done and confirmed. So what they are essentially saying is that their government will ban Bajrang Dal. That means 'because the BJP is banning PFI, to appease Muslims, we (Congress) will ban Bajrang Dal'. It is a clear Muslim agenda," Himanta said.Â
"What PFI cannot say today, the Congress is saying that we will take revenge. PFI does not have the guts to say that they will take revenge. So in the absence of the PFI, today, DK Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah are saying that 'Look, don't worry. We are here to take revenge on the BJP. So, in short, the promise to ban Bajrang Dal has come at the behest of the PFI. So this is a manifesto propounded by the PFI, and prepared at the behest of the PFI sympathisers and the ecosystem of the PFI," the Assam Chief Minister added.
"The PFI is already banned. What is the use of saying that they will ban PFI? And why are you banning Bajrang Dal? What is the criminal charge against them? Where have they carried out bomb blasts or rioting? So they (Congress) is just trying to play the ball on behalf of PFI. Unfortunately, the Congress manifesto looks like the manifesto of PFI," he further said.
