Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) national General Secretary P K Kunhalikutty on Sunday said the demolition of houses by using bulldozers in Bengaluru was not the one usually seen in Uttar Pradesh and other places.
Speaking to media persons in Kozhikode, Kunhalikutty said that as soon as he and Sadiqali Shihab Thangal heard the news, they had called Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, the Minority Affairs Minister and Malayali organisations to find out the true picture. They told us that the demolition of houses in Bengaluru was not in any way comparable to what happened in Uttar Pradesh.
“Not just minorities, other sections of people are affected by the demolition. The Karnataka government has assured that it will provide rehabilitation to the deserving people,” Kunhalikutty said.
Kunhalikutty’s reaction came in the backdrop of Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s statement on Friday that the bulldozing of Fakir Colony and Wasim Layout, where Muslims have been living for years, in the capital city of Karnataka, is extremely shocking and painful.
Chief Minister Vijayan said this action of the Congress government in Karnataka is another version of the anti-minority aggressive politics being practiced by the Sangh Parivar in North India.
Responding to Pinarayi Vijayan, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Saturday lashed out at Kerala CM for interfering in evictions in an encroached land in Bengaluru.
Shivakumar said it is unfortunate that senior leaders like Pinarayi Vijayan have commented on this without knowing the facts of the matter. “The land which was cleared of encroachment was a solid waste pit. There are many health-related issues in the area due to this. We also have humanity, and we have given them an opportunity to move to other areas,” he said.
Shivakumar said that they are only protecting government land in the middle of the city and will send a message regarding this to Congress party leaders in Kerala. “We don’t have Bulldozer culture, I appeal to Pinarayi Vijayan not to talk like that,” he said.