Karnataka govt mulls legal action against BJP's Ravikumar over his comments against IAS officer; MLC says he has apologised
The Karnataka Government will explore legal action against BJP MLC N Ravikumar for his controversial remarks against IAS officer and Kalaburagi Deputy Commissioner Fouzia Taranum, Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar said Tuesday.
This came a day after the Kalaburagi police booked Ravikumar for the comments he made against the award-winning 2015-cadre IAS officer during a protest rally held in the city last Saturday. The First Information Report (FIR) was filed based on a complaint filed by a Kalaburagi resident at the Station Bazar Police Station.
Responding to media queries, Shivakumar said there was no option but to initiate legal action against Ravikumar. 'The government and the party will take it very seriously,' he said as he demanded a response from Leader of Opposition R Ashok and BJP state president B Y Vijayendra.
'This is not a small issue. The entire Karnataka government stands behind her,' the DyCM said, adding that a lot of IAS officers had met him earlier in the day over the remarks made by the BJP MLC.
Ravikumar was booked for his remarks that Taranum 'might have come from Pakistan'. In videos that went viral on social media, he can be heard saying, 'The DC madam is listening to what they (the Kharge family) say. I don't know whether she comes from Pakistan or is an IAS officer here. Listening to your applause, I think she might have come from Pakistan,' Ravikumar said during the protest.
When contacted, Ravikumar told The Indian Express he had apologised for his remarks made against the IAS officer, adding that a detailed letter of apology would be issued soon.
BJP state president Vijayendra said Ravikumar had already apologised for the incident. 'This is a closed chapter,' he said.
The IAS Officers' Association in Karnataka condemned Ravikumar's remarks, and said it stood in solidarity with the officer.
Taranum was one of the 22 recipients of the Best Electoral Practices Award conferred by the President of India in January this year. The IAS officer also won the Excellence in Governance Award, distributed by The Indian Express, earlier this year in the category of Jury Special Awards for comprehensive development in the district. She was awarded for her initiative in marketing Kalaburagi Rotti as a brand and reintroducing millet as a staple in the region.
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