Yediyurappa clarifies Eshwarappa's 'shoot the traitor' remark was taken out of context

BENGALURU: Former Karnataka Chief Minister and BJP stalwart B S Yediyurappa on Saturday said some people were giving a twist to former Minister K S Eshwarappa's 'shoot the traitors' remark to give it a different connotation.

Eshwarappa had on Thursday said in Davangere that the Centre should formulate a law to shoot down traitors like Congress MP D K Suresh and Congress MLA Vinay Kulkarni who want South India to be a separate nation. ''People are talking about Eshwarappa's statement in a way to convey a negative meaning. Eshwarappa had only asked for a law to shoot down traitors. There is no connection between Eshwarappa's statement and the comments made against him,'' Yediyurappa told reporters in Shivamogga.

An FIR has been registered and a notice has been served against the BJP leader for his remarks in Davangere.

Yediyurappa said Eshwarappa is capable of facing the FIR against him.

Reacting to Eshwarappa's comment, former BJP chief minister Jagadish Shettar insisted on remaining well within the limits.

''Eshwarappa has defended his statement. I have said several times in the past that nobody should cross the 'Lakshman Rekha' (the line of decency),'' Shettar said in Hubballi.

Former BJP MLA M P Renukacharya backed Eshwarappa saying that no one can keep mum on the partition of the country.

''Eshwarappa is a staunch Hindutva supporter. He has only spoken the truth. How can he stay silent when someone talks about partition of the country?'' Renukacharya said.

He charged that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah-led Congress state unit's demonstration in Delhi against the alleged injustice to Karnataka on February 7 was aimed at diverting public attention from the controversy arising due to Suresh's statement.

Claiming that the taxes collected from the southern states were being distributed to north India, Suresh, the Bengaluru Rural MP and brother of Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, said on February 1 that the southern states would be forced to demand a separate nation if the 'injustice' was not rectified.

Commenting on Eshwarappa's statement, Karnataka IT/BT Minister Priyank Kharge said the statement reflected the level of intellect of the BJP leader.

''Your (Eshwarappa's) statement to bring in a law to shoot down shows your level of intellect. Why his statements should be taken seriously when he is not in the game? He has already taken 'involuntary retirement' from politics and could not secure a place in the 'Margadarshak Mandal','' Priyank Kharge, son of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, told reporters in Kalaburagi.

On Saturday, Congress workers tried to lay siege to Eshwarappa's house in Chakravarthy Layout in Bengaluru protesting his statement. Police personnel deployed there took the Congress workers into preventive custody.