B Bommai "Challenges" Congress To Ban RSS, Bajrang Dal In Karnataka

Senior BJP leader Basavaraj Bommai on Friday challenged the Congress government in Karnataka to impose a ban on Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and Bajrang Dal.

Alleging that the Congress was pursuing 'politics of vengeance', he said those who ever tried to ban RSS were sent home packing.

B Bommai was reacting to Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge's purported statement that the government will not hesitate to ban RSS and Bajrang Dal if they disturb peace in the state.

Keeping aside all its promises, the Congress has started pursuing the politics of vengeance. It appears that politics of vengeance is more on the agenda than the development of the state, the former CM told reporters here.

"They are talking about banning RSS and Bajrang Dal. Whom are they telling this? Please try it. I am challenging them. They don't have powers to ban any organisation. It's the prerogative of the Centre, which does it after seeking the opinion of all the states," B Bommai pointed out.

On the one hand, the Congress ministers were giving such statements to please a section of its voters, while on the other, they were trying to threaten those who believed in this ideology, he alleged.

B Bommai charged the Congress with 'misleading' those it was trying to appease and said it does not have power to do so.

"I ask Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to spell out your intention clearly with regard to banning RSS or Bajrang Dal. Will you support your cabinet colleagues or disagree with them? You must tell the people of the state clearly," he said.

According to the BJP MLA, RSS is an organisation which built the nation. It has put out in public its policies and principles and preparing youth for it for the past 75 years.

"Nobody can ban RSS. All such attempts in the past failed. Those who dared to ban it were sent home," he claimed.

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