BJP candidate threatens Congress president, TPCC demands action

Hyderabad: The Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) President, Revanth Reddy pens a letter to Jubilee Hills police to register a case against Manikanta Rathod, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate from Chittapur Assembly constituency of Karnataka, for threatening the life of Mallikarjun Kharge, the President of the All India Congress Committee (AICC), his wife and the entire family.

In a letter to the Station House Officer of Jubilee Hills Police Station, Revanth Reddy urged the police to take stringent action against the persons involved in threatening the AICC President and to register an FIR under sections 153 and 506 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and other relevant sections of law.

According to media reports, Manikanta Rathod had allegedly made threatening calls to Mallikarjuna Kharge and his family. The news has spread widely across the nation, causing panic among the followers and sympathisers of the Congress party.

The letter further read, "If such threatening actions of the BJP are not curbed at the initial stage, it may also promote enmity among the cadre of two political parties, which in turn may escalate the issue, beyond our control."

The TPCC President also enclosed visuals of the alleged threatening calls in a pendrive submitted to the police.

Karnataka's electoral scene

The current election scene in Karnataka is highly charged, with the three major political parties - Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP), Indian National Congress, and Janata Dal (Secular) - all vying for a win in the upcoming assembly elections.

The BJP, which currently holds power in the state, is determined to retain its hold and break the 38-year-old trend of alternating governments. The party has been banking on the popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and its performance in the state over the last five years to secure a victory.

The Congress, on the other hand, is working hard to regain power in Karnataka and establish itself as the main opposition party ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The party has been fielding candidates from diverse backgrounds and has been highlighting issues such as unemployment, corruption, and farmer distress in its election campaign.

The JD(S), led by former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda, is also in the race to emerge as the dominant political force in the state. The party has been highlighting its record of good governance and development in its previous stint in power, and has been appealing to voters on the basis of its regional identity.

While the political parties in Karnataka are striving hard to win in the upcoming assembly elections, the recent complaint by Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee President, Revanth Reddy, against a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate for threatening the President of the All India Congress Committee, Mallikarjun Kharge, exposes the intensity of the political rivalry between the Congress and BJP.