Congress MLA Akhanda Srinivasa Murthy, who won the 2018 Assembly elections by the highest margin in 2018, is under serious threat for his go-to seat in 2023. The MLA from Pulakeshinagar has not yet received a green signal from the Congress Party, and the seat has been kept on hold as of now. The reason for the delay or reconsideration in this matter dates back to the DJ Halli riots of 2020.
MLA Akhanda Srinivasa Murthy. Credits – Zee News
Naveen P, the nephew of Akhanda Srinivasa Murthy, posted a derogatory image of Prophet Muhammad on Facebook. Following this, on the night of August 11, 2020, a mob approached the police station and attacked it. Besides, the house of the MLA was also burnt by several vehicles. The authorities took strict action against these developments and invoked the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, of 1967 and arrested over 400 people in connection with the riots.
Years after the event, several Muslims still hold strong grudges against the Congress MLA for the involvement of his family member in posting the content online. These Muslims and the Muslim Ulama have reportedly expressed their displeasure over the candidature of the MLA in upcoming elections.
MLA Akhanda Srinivas Murthy and Rahul Gandhi. Credits – Oneindia Kannada
According to a news report by the Cognate, the Muslim Ulama had a meeting with the Karnataka Congress Leadership wherein they strongly urged the party to not give a candidature to Murthy. The Congress party has reportedly stated that the decision over the candidature of Murthy has been left to MLA BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan.
The Chamrajpet MLA has been working in the support of the Murthy. Through his media, he has tried to convey the fact that the MLA did not have anything to do with the posting of pictures.
