Janjivan Bureau / New Delhi: The BJP and Congress parties face to face on the brutual murder of journalist Gauri Lankesh in Benguluru last night. The BJP today accused Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi of trying to make “political capital” out of journalist Gauri Lankesh’s murder and rejected as “irresponsible and baseless” the allegations linking the killing to the people following its ideology.
The saffron party also asked the Karnataka government to arrest the murderers swiftly and wondered if the SIT constituted by it will meet the same fate as the one probing the August 2016 murder of rationalist M M Kalburgi, whose killers remain untraced.
Union minister Nitin Gadkari termed as “irresponsible, baseless and false” the allegations linking the killing of journalist Lankesh to the BJP or people following its ideology.
Slamming the statements of Congress Chief Sonia Gandhi and her deputy Rahul, he said levelling “untrue” allegations against the BJP and the prime minister is injustice to his party and detrimental to democracy.
“The government, the BJP or any of its organisations have no connection with the killing of journalist Gauri Lankesh,” he told reporters.
Another Union minister Ananth Kumar asked the Congress government in Karnataka to swiftly probe the journalist’s murder in Bengaluru and arrest the guilty.
Attacking the Siddaramaiah government for the state’s “poor” law and order situation, he said there had been 18-19 political killings besides Kalburgi’s murder in the last last two and a half years and it had “failed” in taking probes to their logical conclusion.
Hitting out at the Congress vice president, BJP spokesperson G V L Narasimha Rao said he was trying to make political capital out of Lankesh’s murder, which he termed as an act of mindless violence.
Taking a dig, he said, “Rahul Gandhi must realise that the track record of his party’s government in Karnataka on law and order is as dismal and pathetic as his political record.
He will do well to concentrate on these shortcomings rather than making frivolous comments.”
Rao noted that the Karnataka police has not made any arrest in Kalburgi’s murder so far.
In his comments, Rahul Gandhi had said anybody who spoke against the ideology of the BJP and RSS was “pressured, beaten, attacked and even killed”.
Lankesh was an outspoken critic of Hindutva politics. She was shot dead yesterday by unidentified gunmen outside her residence in Bengaluru.
On other hand the Congress today condemned the killing of journalist Gauri Lankesh with party president Sonia Gandhi saying it was a chilling reminder that “intolerance and bigotry is raising its ugly head in our society”.
Her son and party vice president Rahul Gandhi, senior leader P Chidambaram, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh and party spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi also expressed shock at the killing of the journalist in Bengaluru yesterday.
In condemning this debilitating attack, the Congress party stands as one with rationalists, thinkers, journalists and the media fraternity, Sonia Gandhi said.
The Congress president described Lankesh as one with fearless and independent views, who had extraordinary grit and determination to take on the system.
“The series of killings of rationalists, free thinkers and journalists in the country has created an atmosphere that dissent, ideological differences and divergence of views can endanger our lives. This cannot be and should not be tolerated,” Sonia Gandhi said in a statement.
“It is an extremely sad moment for our democracy and a chilling reminder of the fact that intolerance and bigotry is raising its ugly head in our society,” she said.
Sonia Gandhi as well as Rahul Gandhi have spoken to Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and urged him to swiftly bring the culprits to the book.
“Every possible measure should be taken to maintain a safe and secure atmosphere in the state,” she added.
The Congress president expressed her deepest condolences to Lankesh’s family and friends and offered her prayers. The Congress vice president said no one could suppress the truth. Rahul Gandhi said it was very important that the perpetrators were caught and punished and the chief minister had assured him of that.
“Anybody who speaks against the ideology of BJP and RSS, is pressured, beaten, attacked and even killed,” he told reporters.
The Congress vice president attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and described him as a “skilled Hindutva politician”, what he spoke had a different meaning for his base and another one for the world.
“The RSS and BJP ideology is trying to suppress the truth but this cannot happen in India,” he said.
Asked about Modi’s silence on the issue, Gandhi said, “…but the entire ideology is to silence voices”.
“When sometimes the prime minister feels there is too much pressure to speak then he says something, but the entire ideology is to crush dissent and this is resulting in a serious problem in India,” he said.
Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram also spoke out.
“Gauri Lankesh: another anti-establishment voice silenced. Freedom is in peril.
“Liberty will survive only where contrarian views are freely spoken and written,” he said on Twitter.
Giving the party’s viewpoint at a briefing, Singhvi said democracy was being throttled and asphyxiated while media freedom was on the ventilator.
“The shocking and blood curdling murder of senior journalist and activist, Gauri Lankesh is a grim reminder of the times we live in. This mindless and cowardly assassination has not only shaken our conscience but is also an extremely sad moment for our democracy,” Singhvi told reporters.
“If you do not agree with us, we shall kill you is the new slogan of ‘New India’. Muzzling the voice of ordinary citizens and the lynch mob mentality has become a regular habit of this ‘New India/Achhe Din’ government,” he said.
Singhvi said India was in the throes of a violent clash between advocates of freedom of speech and the government was determined to silence dissent.
“It is now time to save our democracy from this cycle of intolerance and hate,” he said.
The Punjab chief minister said such brazen intolerance had no place in a civilised democratic society.
“Strongly condemn Gauri Lankesh murder. No place for such brazen intolerance in a civilised democratic society.
Exemplary punishment needed,” Singh said.
Lankesh, 55, known for her left-leaning outlook and forthright views on Hindutva politics, was shot dead by unidentified assailants at her residence last evening.
