A case has been registered against BJP chief JP Nadda, the party's Karnataka unit chief BY Vijayendra and the party's IT cell chief Amit Malviya for allegedly inciting communal hatred.
The FIR was registered in connection with a video posted on BJP Karnataka's social media page showing Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and state Chief Minister Siddaramaiah providing larger funds to Muslims.
The 17-second-long animated video tweeted by the BJP's Karnataka unit on Saturday, May 4, consists of caricatures of Congress MP Rahul Gandhi and Siddaramaiah putting an egg marked 'Muslim' on a bird's nest. After the egg hatches, Rahul Gandhi feeds 'funds' to the 'Muslim' hatchling while others strive for it.
Karnataka Congress's legal unit team member, Ramesh Babu, filed a complaint urging action in the matter. The FIR extends to Nadda, Vijayendra, and Malaviya concerning these allegations.
Earlier, the Karnataka Congress filed a complaint with the Chief Electoral Officer of the state in connection with the video.
Speaking after the registration of the FIR, the state Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy said, "BJP doesn't have common sense. Their top leadership is also like that. During assembly elections, they tried hijab, azan, halal. People didn't accept or recognize it. Now they are talking about thali (mangalsutra) and doing these kind of things. They will not even win in double digits this time."
However, questioning the FIR, Amit Malviya asked whether Congress expect "to slip in draconian promises in their manifesto and not get called out". He further added that the Congress should thank the BJP for taking their manifesto to the people "in a manner that even they couldn’t".
"... So take a chill pill. India has seen through your sinister plans. Now face the electorate and perish," Malviya said in a post on X.
Notably, the BJP has consistently been attacking the Congress, comparing the latter's manifesto to that of the Muslim League. At a recent rally in Telangana, the Prime Minister said that he would not allow reservations for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and the OBCs to be given to Muslims on the basis of religion.
