'Focus on love jihad instead of roads and drainage'

Mangaluru: The State President of BJP in Karnataka and an MP from Mangaluru has made news after he was seen giving BJP workers a call to polarisation. A " video of Nalin Kumar Kateel giving the politically charged speech surfaced online where he was instructing workers to lay emphasis on love jihad instead of other "minor" issues like roads and drainage. His comments were made in the launch of the party's 'Booth Vijaya Abhiyana', a booth-level strategy to prepare for the upcoming assembly elections. The infamous statement he made on Monday was addressed to the BJP workers in Mangaluru.

Nalin Kumar Kateel is heard saying in the video, "Let me tell you, don't talk about small issues like roads and drainage. If you are worried about your children's life, BJP has to stay in power to eliminate love jihad."

For this statement, Nalin got a round of applause as well. He went on to say that if Congress comes to power in the assembly elections, terrorism and corruption will prosper within the state.

While some might call this a pep-talk within the party, the opposition party has criticised the statement saying that it gives out a wrong message while ignoring developmental aspects.

The Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) chief, D K Shivakumar said, "Such hatred and attempts at polarisation will divide the country. They (BJP leaders) want to ignore development and focus on communal aspects. Nalin Kumar's statements give out the wrong message." Sources said that during Nalin Kumar Kateel's address to the BJP workers, he asked the workers to work with dedication and determination for the next 100 days to see the BJP win more than 150 seats in the assembly elections.