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Bengaluru, May 16: Karnataka BJP president Nalin Kumar Kateel on Tuesday alleged 'Talibanisation' has started in the state after the victory of the Congress in the Assembly polls and those indulging in "anti-national activities" are "rising up" to destroy peace.

The Lok Sabha member from Dakshina Kannada met family members of Krishnappa, a BJP worker who was allegedly hacked to death by a relative, while his wife and son were grievously injured following a clash. 

The Hoskote police arrested Aditya, 21, nephew of the deceased, charging him with the murder, while his father Ganesh managed to escape. Efforts are on to track him down, the police said. 

"Talibanisation has begun. Those indulging in anti-national activities are rising up and destroying peace and harmony. This is happening because Congress harboured and promoted these types of people. So, we cannot expect anything better from the Congress," Kateel told reporters after the meeting.

Condemning the incident, he alleged that attempts have been made to make Karnataka a 'mini-Bihar'.

"The politics of hatred is going on in the state. This sends across a message about what will happen to the state if this government continues. This is a sign that 'jungle raj' will be established here," Kateel said.

"We (BJP) will condemn it and will face it. There is no need for our workers to panic. We will face it and fight it and we will give a befitting reply. We will not sit idly," he said.

"The power struggle is going on. Everyone (top Congress leaders) is in Delhi to decide who should be the next Chief Minister. Congress workers are continuing their hooliganism in the state," Kateel said.

He asserted that incidents of violence took place in Yadgir, Shivamogga, Bhatkal and some other parts of the state (after election results were declared).

"It will be good if the Congress understands this. I have told the police officers. You should not keep quiet when such incidents happen. You have to arrest all those who are behind such incidents," Kateel said.

The Congress ousted the BJP from power by bagging 135 seats in the 224-member Assembly. The BJP secured 66 seats and the Janata Dal (Secular) headed by former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda won 19. 

The murder

According to the police, Mr. Krishnappa and Mr. Ganesh are brothers and allegedly nurtured grudges over a property dispute. On Saturday, the accused were celebrating the victory of the Congress candidate and burst crackers in front of Mr. Krishnappa, who supported the ruling party and objected to the ruckus in front of his house, said the police.

Heated arguments ensued, which took an ugly turn, when Aditya, in a fit of rage, attacked Mr. Krishnappa with an axe, the police added. Ms. Gangamma and Babu rushed to his aid, but were also attacked and severely injured. The others rushed the trio to a nearby hospital where Mr. Krishnappa was declared as brought dead, said the police. 

Bengaluru, May The BJP Legislature Party meeting scheduled early this week is expected to choose the Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly where the saffron party will have 66 members.

Under the present circumstances, a large section of BJP leaders seem in favour of Caretaker Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai to become the Leader of the Opposition, a crucial position to corner the government in the Assembly. 

Senior lawmakers R Ashoka (Vokkaliga), Basanagouda Patil Yatnal (Panchamasali-Lingayat) and Karkala MLA V Sunil Kumar (Idiga) are contenders for the position, it is said. 

Speaking to reporters after a meeting of top BJP leaders, Bommai said the party's state president Nalin Kumar Kateel has convened a meeting of new MLAs in the next 3-4 days where various issues would be discussed. 

A senior leader said that Bommai - who belongs to the Sadar section of Lingayats - is in the race to become the Leader of the Opposition due to his experience of handling crucial departments like water resources, finance and home.

“He's a good debater, too. Therefore, he has an edge over others unless the party's central leadership wants to overhaul the state unit entirely and pick fresh faces ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls,” the leader said.

There are calls within the party to go for a Hindutva face like Yatnal or Sunil Kumar to take on the new Congress government that is expected to overturn several decisions of the previous BJP government such as repealing laws banning cow slaughter and regulating religious conversion.

They may be considered for the position of Deputy Leader of the Opposition, sources said. Even Ashoka and S Suresh Kumar (Brahmin) could be considered, it is said. 

Bengaluru, May 19: Congress has not invited AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal, BSP’s Mayawati, BRS’ K Chandrasekhar Rao, BJD’s Naveen Patnaik and YSR Congress’ Jaganmohan Reddy for Siddaramaiah’s swearing in on Saturday in Bengaluru where the party intends to display a show of strength of the Opposition.

West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee will not attend the ceremony despite being invited to the ceremony in Kanteerava stadium but deputed Lok Sabha Deputy Leader Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar for the event. 

Mamata, who “conveyed her best wishes” after Siddaramaiah and other leaders personally invited her, not sending Sudip Bandhyopadhyay or Derek O’Brien is seen as a signal by the Trinamool Congress that it is not so much thrilled by the Congress victory and it does not want to give much lee-way in Opposition politics.

Congress’ decision not to invite at least five parties to the function, sources said, is part of positioning in respective states. The Congress is at loggerheads with AAP in Punjab and Delhi where state leaders are up in arms against any sort of link with the Kejriwal-led party and had vehemently opposed when central leadership leaned towards it.

Though BRS was its comrade-in-arms in Parliament, the upcoming Telangana elections and Rao’s allegiance to the regional party bloc has generated suspicion in Congress circles. The state unit is also against any signal to BRS. 

BSP’s Mayawati is another leader the Congress has not invited. BSP has so far kept itself away from any Opposition grouping in the recent past and the Congress does not consider that Mayawati is in any way inclined to join the Opposition.

YSR Congress and BJD have also scrupulously kept themselves away from the Opposition and though there are demands from a section of the Opposition, they have not given any signal.

Leaders from parties like DMK, NCP, RJD, CPI(M), CPI, Shiv Sena (UBT), JMM, National Conference and Samajwadi Party have been invited to the function. Some more parties are also on the list.

With the Congress inviting Chief Ministers like MK Stalin, Nitish Kumar, Mamata and Hemant Soren, the omission of Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has raised eye-brows. Congress sources said nothing much should be read into it, as only party leaders are invited and an invite has gone to CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury.

However, there are indications that the Congress kept the political situation in Kerala in mind during discussions while preparing the invitee list.