Belagavi, Oct. 16 – In the middle of a heated debate over whether to ban the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in Karnataka, BJP MP Jagadish Shettar said the state’s government under Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is already crumbling. “Law and order has collapsed, and the economy is in a crisis,” Shettar told , adding that the RSS‑ban debate is a distraction.
Shettar pointed out that Siddaramaiah’s administration has been criticised for its handling of caste‑census data, which he said was another attempt to pull public attention away from mounting problems. He described the RSS as a patriotic organisation with 80,000 branches nationwide and called the anti‑RSS narrative “unnecessary propaganda.”
The BJP MP also revealed tensions within the state’s ruling party. “Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar are fighting over the chief minister’s post,” Shettar said. “This infighting shows how the RSS’s influence grows while the administration falls apart.”
Meanwhile, the Congress‑led Karnataka government answered a call to halt RSS activities in public places by re‑issuing an old circular. The circular, issued on Feb. 7, 2013 by then‑Commissioner S.R. Umashankar, forbade the use of government school grounds for private or non‑academic purposes. The document was released after Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge asked authorities to ban RSS gatherings in schools and colleges.
According to the circular, school premises should be used only for students’ daily activities – sports, physical education and academics. The government will not issue any permission for non‑educational use of these sites.
Around the same time, the state’s public instruction office confirmed that the circular’s re‑release is a direct response to the letter asking for a ban on RSS events in schools. The ruling BJP and Congress parties now find themselves in a tug‑of‑war over the future of public spaces for political gatherings in Karnataka.
Source: ianslive
Stay informed on all the latest news, real-time breaking news updates, and follow all the important headlines in world News on Latest NewsX. Follow us on social media Facebook, Twitter(X), Gettr and subscribe our Youtube Channel.
