New Delhi,
Amid the massive political battle erupting within minutes of activist-journalist Gauri Lankesh’s murder, political parties are now involved in a no-holds-barred slugfest, ascertaining the “motives” and also the “culprits”.

So while the Congress’s and Left parties’ raised fingers at the BJP, the saffron hit right back castigating Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah for “poor law and order” situation in the Congress-ruled state and also wondering “if the fear of losing political ground by political parties (read Congress and Left) was not the reason behind the killing of Lankesh”.

The BJP condemned the killing and slammed as “irresponsible, baseless and false” Congress’s and Left’s allegations linking the killing to the saffron party or its cadres. Also condemning “Congress/Left-orchestrated protests”, including in the capital, BJP leader GVL Narsimha Rao said it was “shocking” that the “death of a journalist has been converted into an event by the hate-Modi, hate-BJP brigade to vent frustration”.

“It is shocking that a death has been converted into an event to vent their frustrations by the hate-Modi, hate-BJP brigade. The strong hate-BJP brigade is celebrating their marginalization in Indian politics and Indian political mainstream. These are fringe elements and vestiges of Congress and Left in intelligentsia, academia and media,” he said. “We suspect it (murder) could be an orchestrated attempt to raise the bogey. Is it someone within their establishment who silenced her?”

It is a fight of ideologies and political parties can be opposed to each other’s points of view. But does that mean that wherever something happened the BJP and RSS were held responsible, senior minister Nitin Gadkari questioned.

Slamming Congress Chief Sonia Gandhi and son Rahul for levelling “baseless and false allegations” against the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Gadkari said: “It is detrimental to democracy. The present government, the BJP or any of its organisations have no connection with the killing”.

“The Prime Minister is being accused of remaining silent despite people knowing that he is on a foreign visit. The reaction on this incident by the president of a political party is very irresponsible, baseless and false,” he added without naming the Congress chief. “If there is a murder and somebody is accused of it, unless and until there is any evidence, that person cannot be pronounced guilty. Some people are unable to digest the good work by the BJP under the leadership of Prime Minister and are levelling such false and baseless allegations that will democracy.”

“The country’s prime minister is not of one party and is the nation’s honour. For a responsible leader of a political party, levelling such baseless and untrue allegation is unfortunate. It is not good for Indian democracy,” he said on Rahul Gandhi’s statement