FIR against former Karnataka minister Ashwath Narayan over 'finish off Siddaramaiah' remark

Bengaluru (Karnataka), May 25

Days after forming the government in the southern state, the Karnataka Congress has registered an FIR against former minister and BJP MLA CN Ashwath Narayan for his alleged statement to “finish off” Siddaramaiah like “Uri Gowda and Nanje Gowda finished off Tipu Sultan”.

A delegation of Congress leaders led by Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) spokesperson M Lakshmana and Mysuru District Congress Committee president B J Vijaykumar on Wedneday submitted a fresh complaint at Devaraja police station in Mysuru.

The FIR has been registered under Sections 506 and 153 of the IPC.

Earlier in February this year, a complaint was filed by KPCC spokesperson at the Malleshwaram police station against Ashwath Narayan but no action was taken.

While addressing a public event this February, the Karnataka minister had exhorted people to “finish off” Siddaramaiah the way the two Vokkaliga chieftains—Uri Gowda and Nanje Gowda—had killed 17th-century Mysuru ruler Tipu Sultan. The Congress has maintained that the duo are fictional characters.

Subsequently, Ashwath Narayan in a series of tweets said that he his remarks were casual allusions and not malicious.

“Let me make my stand clear. The words used to compare Tipu Sultan and Siddaramaiah in Mandya are casual allusions and not malicious words. But my words are being misconstrued. It wasn’t meant to hurt anyone,” he tweeted.

“Debate is an integral part of politics & essential for a healthy democracy. It is in this spirit that my words should be interpreted. It may be @siddaramaiah ‘s culture to be calling the Prime Minister a “mass murderer” and assailing the Chief Minister,” read his tweet.

Ashwath Narayan further added that he had only mentioned that Congress should be defeated in the elections.

“The people of the State are well aware of Siddaramaiah’s language proficiency. I was merely alluding to the fact that Congress should be defeated in this election. And, after all, our people of Mandya do not possess the brutal mentality of Tipu,” he had tweeted.

To this Siddaramaiah had then stated that love and friendship cannot be expected from leaders of a party, which “worships the murderer of Mahatma Gandhi”.