Bengaluru, (DHNS): JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy on Tuesday accused Chief Minister Siddaramaiah of turning a blind eye to the communal tension in Dakshina Kannada district for the past two months and asked him to clamp down on those who stir violence in society.

“The chief minister gets daily briefing on the law and order situation from the Intelligence department. Situation has been tense in Dakshina Kannada for the past two months. Had the chief minister taken appropriate measures well in advance, the situation would not have turned bad to worse in the district,” Kumaraswamy said on Tuesday.

Siddaramaiah appears to have realised the seriousness of the situation only on Monday. He held a meeting with the police officers for the first time. Instead of directing them to act against those who try to stoke communal violence, he has asked the police to take action against communal forces. All those who speak against Siddaramaiah will now be targeted on the pretext of curbing communal forces, he said.

Kumaraswamy said the two national parties, the Congress and the BJP, were trying to take political mileage out of the situation in Dakshina Kannada. “It looks like the two parties are playing 20:20 cricket match in the district. And the match is fixed...Instead of taking measures to restore peace, leaders of the two parties are instigating people to indulge in violence,” he stated.

The JD(S) will soon take out a peace march from Mangaluru to Kalladka and a peace meeting will be held in the district, he added.