BJP is aiming for a major communal flare-up ahead of 2028 assembly polls, says KPCC spokesperson

KPCC spokesperson M. Lakshmana at a press meet in Mysuru on Sunday. | Photo credit: MA Sriram

Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) spokesperson M. Lakshmana warned the public against efforts by the BJP and its front organizations to create a major communal flare-up between Hindus and Muslims ahead of the 2028 parliamentary polls.

At a press conference in Mysuru on Sunday, Mr. Lakshmana said the police and the state government must be wary of the BJP and its associates using the 2026 and 2027 Ganesha festivals to incite communal issues for political gain in the run-up to the upcoming assembly elections.

Terming Sunday’s BJP protest in T. Narsipur town as “shameful”, a Congress spokesperson said the police inspector did nothing wrong when he warned groups taking out a Ganesha procession against creating trouble outside a mosque, a warning that came in view of trouble witnessed at the same place last year.

“Isn’t it shameful that you (BJP) are trying to find fault with the police official’s statement? Isn’t protecting the law and order their (police’s) responsibility?” he asked.

If the BJP had any sense of shame, Mr. Lakshmana said, its leaders would have supported the police inspector’s statement instead of projecting it as an insult to the sentiments of the Hindu community.

He accused former MP Pratap Simha and sitting MP Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar of fanning communalism with their statements.

Hitting out at the Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Assembly, Mr. Lakshmana alleged that instead of visiting the drought-hit areas to inspect drinking water arrangements, R. Ashok was only trying to incite communal violence in view of the next assembly elections.

Targeting Mr. Yaduveer, Mr. Lakshmana said the Mysuru-Kodag MP — who was present in T. Narsipur on Sunday for an anti-BJP protest — skipped the Madikeri debate on the Centre’s announcement of the Kasturi Rangan report.

Published – 13 Sep 2026 20:16 IST