Bengaluru: A video of BJP Karnataka MLA J. Preetham Gowda telling Muslims that if they don’t vote him in the upcoming Assembly elections, he won’t take up any development activity for them has gone viral on social media.
The remarks have drawn sharp criticism from the people. In the video, MLA Preetham Gowda, the MLA from Hassan, while addressing a gathering in Hassan city’s Muslim-dominated Srinagar locality was heard saying he had treated people of all communities as brothers in the last four years.
He went on to say that if Muslims came to his home, he would offer them coffee but not ensure development and won’t do anything they need.
“I will continue to treat you equally as brothers. But, you did not vote for me in the 2018 assembly elections and municipal elections. You did not vote for BJP in parliamentary elections. I will not do more than to ensure proper water, road and drainage facilities,” Pritham Gowda said.
Pritam Gowda maintained that he was just asking for wages for the labor he had put in to ensure developmental activities for Muslims. Referring to the crowd, he said: “You are all daily wage workers. You will get angry if your wages are not paid. Don’t you think even after getting work from me, if you don’t vote, I will get upset?
Pritham Gowda won from Hassan city in 2018 giving a rude shock to JD-S. Former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda hails from Hassan and entire district politics is dominated by Gowda family.
The BJP managed to shock JD-S by ensuring the win of Pritham Gowda. He had challenged Deve Gowda’s family that he would win this time by the margin of 50,000 votes and asked them to stop him from that.
This is not the first time a BJP leader threatened Muslims for votes. In April 2019, member of the Lok Sabha Maneka Gandhi at a rally in Sultanpur addressed Muslims saying, “Main jeet rahi hun logon ke pyar se. Lekin agar meri jeet musalmanon ke bina hui to mujhe bahot acha nahi lagega kyunki fir dil khatta ho jata hai (I am winning with the love of people. But, if my victory is without the Muslims then I will not like it),” said Gandhi.
She continues, “Jab musalman aata hai kam ke liye to main sochti hun ki rehne do kya farak padta hai kyunki naukri saudebazi hi to hoti hai. Ye to hai nahi ki hum Mahatma Gandhi ke cchate aulad hain (If Muslims come for some work after that, I will think ‘what difference does it make’. Because employment is a negotiation after all, isn’t that right? We are not Mahatma Gandhi’s children to keep giving without getting anything in return).”
She later issued an apology saying her words were misunderstood. “I love Muslims and I had myself called a meeting of the BJP’s minority cell. I only meant to say that I am winning the elections and their participation would be like ‘daal pe chaunka‘,” she said.
Following the controversial speech, the Election Commission of India issued a show cause notice to Gandhi. However, the people of Sultanpur voted in her favour.
