Video of Umanatha Kotian, a BJP MLA from Karnataka, criticising his party’s purported ‘anti-Muslim’ stance went viral online.
Addressing a meeting of Minorities in Kinnigoli village near Mangaluru a few days ago, Kotian, a first-time MLA from Moodbidri, remarked, “Our BJP leaders think that Muslims and Christians will not vote for the party and so they should not work for them. Nobody else will talk about it but me since I am honest. Our party members are conceited. But, I am working against this mentality,” Kotian stated.
He also stated that he has helped numerous mosques, madrasas, and churches in obtaining development financing. “Even recently, I requested the chief minister to donate Rs 5 crore for mosques and churches and he agreed to give Rs 2.5 crore. But, regardless of religion, you should support someone who delivers,” he remarked, according to a report by The New Indian Express.
Furthermore, he said that his district had not witnessed any community violence or hate speech in the previous five years. “Did you hear anything about how a Muslim or a Christian should not work? I make no distinctions. Come to me if you need anything. I’m not asking you to vote. But all I ask is that you vote for those that deliver,” he remarked.
“Forget the party. I’ve done work for you. As a result, I’m asking for a salary, which is my right,” he explained.
While many have welcomed the BJP legislator, certain Hindutva organisations have attacked him for ‘appeasing Muslims’. “The video was chopped and pasted to suit someone’s requirements,” Umanath Kotian stated when asked, the report said. You must watch the entire video. Then you will understand. I did not mean what the viral video depicts,” he remarked.
