Kharge accuses two activists of RSS-BJP affiliations and exploiting the Dharmasthala controversy for political gain.
Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge on Tuesday accused two activists, Girish Mattannavar and Mahesh Shetty Thimarody, of being linked to the RSS and BJP and playing central roles in the Dharmasthala controversy. The row erupted following large-scale excavations after complaints about the burial of several young women and girl students. Police have registered separate cases against the duo for allegedly creating and circulating videos that disturbed communal harmony and hurt public sentiments.
Speaking to reporters, Kharge, who holds the Information Technology and Biotechnology portfolio, said Thimarody has RSS affiliations, while Mattannavar serves as the district president of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha and was a BJP candidate from the Gurmitkal assembly segment in Yadgir district. Kharge alleged that the Dharmasthala row stems from a factional feud within the RSS, with BJP unable to navigate internal divisions. “Now they are trying to tarnish the government. BJP is clueless which RSS faction it should approach. There are two factions in the RSS. They don’t know whose feet they should hold to save their position,” he charged.
Kharge also accused the BJP of organising campaigns such as ‘Chamundeshwari Chalo’ and ‘Dharmasthala Chalo’ purely for political survival, calling them theatrical attempts to gain political mileage. He stressed that the Special Investigation Team (SIT) is conducting the investigation scientifically and urged BJP leaders to focus on raising issues genuinely affecting Kannadigas, rather than staging marches to appease RSS leaders. He further criticized BJP’s selective invitations in cultural events, highlighting perceived political motives.
Kharge’s remarks underline deep political fault lines in Karnataka, with the Dharmasthala row being exploited for factional and electoral gains.
