Islamophobic Remarks :
Former Karnataka deputy chief minister KS Eshwarappa is a top Bharat Janata Party official. He is an assemblyman from Shimoga, Karnataka, and is well-known for giving anti-Muslim and Islamophobic statements.
In April 2022, he was forced to resign from his ministerial position due to accusations that he was complicit in civil contractor Santosh Patil’s death. Patil had accused Eshwaraapa of corruption and taking bribes days before Eshwaraapa was discovered dead at a hotel in Udupi, Karnataka.
Eshwarappa frequently spreads hate. He was the subject of numerous complaints in 2014 for making frequent hate speeches against the Muslim community during the state’s election season.
Similar to this, on September 15, 2019, Eshwarappa, the then-Minister for Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, said, “There are many such Hijras (transgenders) in the Congress party and they wanted votes of Muslims, till date, I have never saluted a Muslim and asked him for a vote.” Eshwarappa was speaking at a gathering organized by Hindu extremist group Sri Ram Sene in Bengaluru. Despite this, I had a 47,000-vote victory margin. Muslim patriots would always support the BJP. Those who wished they were in Pakistan wouldn’t, though.
He has made a significant contribution to fostering the environment of anti-Muslim prejudice in the state of Karnataka. While he held positions of authority as a Minister and Deputy Chief Minister in the state, the hateful individuals and vigilante groups were fostered with his support. He stated in public that our employees are now more confident and have been given the flexibility to respond to any potential threats by causing the enemy to suffer a double loss in August 2021. He claimed to have told the members of his party to “take two for one.”
A Bajrang Dal member named Harsha was slain in Shivmogga, Karnataka, in February 2022. Before the police could even begin their inquiry, Eshwarappa showed up on the site and openly blamed Muslims for the victim’s passing. He remarked, “I’m very disturbed by the murder of a Bajrang Dal activist,” as he spoke to the reporters. ‘Musalmaan goondas’ (Muslim goons) killed him.We won’t tolerate goondaism.
Eshwarappa is a self-declared Hindu nationalist who supports the creation of the Hindu Rashtra (Hindu Nation) in India. “The saffron flag (a symbol of Hindu nationalism) may become the national flag in this country today or someday,” he said, expressing his dearest wish. There is no question in my mind. We are not required to hoist the colors at every cue from Congress. According to our constitution, the tricolor is the national flag, and we treat it with the respect it merits.
He criticised the Muslim call to prayer, Azaan, and described it as a persistent issue in March 2023. “This Azaan is a headache for me; I run into this issue everywhere I go,” he declared. Does one have to scream for Allah to hear their prayers? Allah is he deaf? “No doubt this too will end soon,” he continued.