Karnataka minister Priyank Kharge gets 'death threat', alleges BJP's link

Karnataka Minister and Congress leader Priyank Kharge claimed that he had received a threatening letter, in which he was also targeted for his Dalit background.

Kalaburgi (Karnataka): Ahead of the Lok Sabha elections in the country, Karnataka Minister and Congress leader Priyank Kharge on Thursday said that he has received a threatening letter that also contains derogatory remarks on his Dalit background.

"I received a letter ten days ago saying that my family and I would be killed. They also insulted my caste in that anonymous letter,'' Kharge said. Taking to X, the minister said, "Recently, received another love letter from Manuvaadis asking me to lay low and not speak up as I am a Dalit. The letter explicitly says that I might become an MLA or a Minister, but I am and will always remain a Dalit. The letter, besides abusing my family, also states that they won’t hesitate to have me killed in an “encounter” by their people."

Kharge pointed fingers at the BJP, alleging their involvement in the threat-letter. "A complaint has been filed in the Vidhana Soudha police station regarding this. In the more recent, Karnataka assembly elections, BJP rewarded a goon who threatened to wipe out my family with an assembly ticket. Currently, he is absconding," he added.

Speaking to the media in Kalaburagi, Priyank alleged, “BJP has repeatedly made personal attacks on our family. The BJP is insulting the entire Dalit community.” ''BJP should reply to this anonymous letter. I have registered an FIR at the Vidhanasoudha police station in Bengaluru regarding the letter," he said.

Lashing out at the BJP for misusing central agencies, he said, "BJP is destroying law and order. I am not afraid of IT and ED. IT, ED and CBI are BJP's star campaigners."

Notably, Karnataka, which has 28 Lok Sabha seats, will vote in two phases on April 26 and May 7. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the Congress and JD-S fought together against the BJP and the combine was decimated. The BJP had won a record 25 seats; Congress and JD-S won just one seat each. The Lok Sabha Elections 2024 will be held in seven phases, starting on April 19. The counting of votes is on June 4.

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