Basaveshwara not anybody's 'property': Karnataka Home Minister

Bengaluru: Karnataka Home Minister Ramalinga Reddy on Wednesday slammed Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Shobha Karandlaj for objecting the Congress party from honouring the 12th-century Lingayat philosopher Basaveshwara.

Talking to media, the state home minister said that Karandlaje is nobody to make such remarks and Basaveshwara is not her 'property'.

"Who is she? Who is she to tell us? Basaveshwara (12th-century Lingayat philosopher) is not the property of Shobha Karandlaje," Reddy said.

As per reports, the Karandlaje on Tuesday said that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah should not be allowed to garland the statue of Basaveshwara on the occasion of his annual Jayanti being observed across Karnataka on April 18.

Karandlaje had said that Siddaramaiah has no moral right to celebrate the birth anniversary of Basaveshwara.

Meanwhile, BJP Chief Amit Shah paid tribute to Basaveshwara and by garlanding on his status here.

Further reacting on Union Minister Anant Kumar Hegde's allegation that the truck which hit his escort vehicle in Haveri on Tuesday night was actually targeting him, the State Home Minister said that he will ask the police to probe the incident.