Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], April 29 (ANI): Leader of Opposition in Karnataka Assembly, R Ashoka, on Wednesday slammed the Congress government for detaining BJP's Yuva Morcha workers amid protest against the launch of the book 'Umar Khalid and his World' near Bengaluru International Centre in Domlur.

R Ashoka accused Congress of 'choosing the wrong side' and giving legitimacy to the student activist and the Delhi riots 'larger conspiracy' case accused, Umar Khalid. He called the 'arrest' of the Yuva Morcha workers a misuse of power.

Sharing a video from the protest, the BJP leader wrote, 'The Congress government in Karnataka has crossed every limit of appeasement and is now openly choosing the wrong side. When individuals like Umar Khalid, facing serious charges under UAPA, are given space and indirect legitimacy, while Karnataka BJYM karyakartas are arrested for protesting - this is not hypocrisy anymore, it is complicity.'

He accused Congress of supporting controversial figures for 'vote-bank' politics.

He wrote, 'Let this sink in: Speak for the nation, and you will be targeted. Question divisive narratives, and you will be silenced. But if it suits the Congress vote-bank, even the most controversial figures will find protection. The arrest of BJYM workers is a disgraceful misuse of power - a calculated attempt to crush nationalist voices and intimidate the youth of this state. This is not governance. This is a dangerous distortion of democracy where appeasement is policy and suppression is strategy.'

'Congress must answer: Is Karnataka now a state where patriotism is punished, and provocation is protected? Let there be no doubt - the Karnataka BJP will confront this head-on. We will not allow Karnataka to be turned into a safe haven for divisive forces while patriots are put behind bars. The people of Karnataka are watching, and they will deliver a fitting answer,' the X post read.

The BYJM workers protest in Bengaluru on Tuesday. Anirban Bhattacharya, Banojyotsna Lahiri and Shuddhabrata Sengupta, the editors of the book, were present at the launch event. (ANI)