Mangaluru : The BJP leaders alleged on Tuesday that the Konaje police have filed a counter case against five BJP workers at the behest of Congress leaders.

They alleged that the counter case was for shouting “Bharat Mata Ki Jai” while the BJP workers were returning after celebrating the “vijayotsava” of the NDA government returning to power.

Addressing presspersons, Satish Kumpala, president, Dakshina Kannada unit of BJP, said the counter case was filed on Monday only after Minister for Health and Family Welfare Dinesh Gundu Rao visited the district.

They alleged that ever since the Congress government led by Siddaramaiah came to power, the government was following “anti-Hindu” policy. The government was trying to defuse the morale of BJP workers by filing false cases against them.

Captain Chowta said that the stabbing incident arose questions like how the group which attacked the BJP workers got daggers and was the attack pre-planned. “Who motivated the group to attack the BJP workers returning after celebrating the ‘vijayotsava’ of the NDA government returning to power?” he asked.

He said the counter case against the BJP workers was filed only as an “after thought” on Monday. “The government should curb the rise of jihadi forces,” he said.

Demanding the withdrawal of the counter case, Mr. Kumpala said that the police withdrew a case filed against a group of persons who offered “namaz” on the public road at Kankanady in Mangaluru recently by filing the B report. It was done in a haste a day after filing the case suo moto. “If the police can withdraw the case in ‘namaz’ incident, why not for shouting ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ by BJP workers,” Mr. Kumpala asked.

He said that Mr. Rao visited K.S. Hegde Hospital in Deralakatte for a function on Monday. The BJP workers injured in the stabbing are being treated in the same hospital. “But the Minister did not have the courtesy to visit them,” he said adding that Mangaluru MLA and Assembly Speaker U.T. Khader too did not visit the injured workers.

Mr. Kumpala said that Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly R. Ashok will visit the injured on Wednesday.