Bengaluru: Congress MLC V.S. Ugrappa on Thursday demanded BJP leaders apologise not only to the people of Karnataka but also the country for criticizing President Ramnath Kovind for praising Tipu Sultan.
Speaking to media persons at Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) office, Ugrappa has criticized BJP leaders, especially Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council K.S. Eshwarappa and Leader of Opposition in the State Assembly Jagadish Shettar for making baseless allegations against the chief minister and the state government.
“Both of them have no basic knowledge on who prepares the President’s speech copy. They should know the difference between Joint Session and Special programme. What was held in the Assembly on Wednesday was not a joint session but a special programme related to a special occasion,’’ Ugrappa said.
He said that Cabinet has to send a proposal to the Governor and the latter has to direct Speaker and Chairman to convene the joint session or any session of the legislature.
“As per the article 175 of Constitution of India, Governor has the right to convene or address the State Assembly. As per the article 85 of the Constitution of India, the President has the right to convene the session of Parliament. President Ramnath Kovind has addressed the dignitaries on the occasion of Vidhana Soudha’s diamond jubilee celebrations,’’ he said.
Appreciating the President for telling the truth in his address about Tipu Sultan, the Congress MLC has recalled how BJP leaders were busy in celebrating Tipu Sultan’s jayanthi during their regime. “The then Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar had requested a well-known writer to write a book on Tipu Sultan. Shettar wrote foreword for that book. Now, he is describing Tipu Sultan as anti-Hindu and anti-Kannada. Why this double-standard behavior?’’ he asked.
Stating that it has become a habit for BJP leaders to politicise every issue, he appealed BJP leaders not to create law and order problems during Tipu Jayanti celebrations. “Two years ago, a few innocent people died during the Tipu Jayanthi celebrations. I don’t want such things to happen this time,’’ he said.
