BANGALORE: BJP leader and Karnataka's Higher Education minister CN Ashwath Narayan who while addressing a public gathering recently in Mandya, had exhorted, 'Finish Off Siddaramaiah Like Tipu Sultan' today said that he regretted his statement and that he had only political difference with the former chief minister and not personal. 

In the video of Narayan’s appeal regarding Siddaramaiah, made on Monday, in which he said, "Do you want Tipu (Sultan) or (Hindutva ideologue) Savarkar? Where should we send this Tipu Sultan? What did Nanje Gowda do? You should finish him (Siddaramaiah) off the same way."

Narayan’s crass remarks came after a similar remark by BJP state president Nalin Kumar Kateel who is seen asking people to chase away "We are Ram Hanuman bhakts and not Tipu descendants, those who support Tipu should be sent into the forest and  Only those who perform bhajans of Ram should remain in this land," he said.

These comments by BJP leaders trigger a major controversy and several people including Congress leaders took to social media including Twitter to condemn these statements, especially Narayan.  Congress leaders including Siddaramaiah had demanded that the government and police file a case against Narayan for his 'finished off Siddaramaiah'and said that Narayan’s comments reflect the true 'culture” of BJP. 

"BJP leader is inciting people to finish me off, what else can you expect from leaders of a party who worships those who killed Gandhiji," he had said.

The state legislative assembly today witnessed pandemonium when Congress members sought action against Narayan’s alleged controversial appeal to 'finish off' the former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. The Congress members also staged a protest in the well of the legislative assembly in Bengaluru. 

Following the outcry in the house, the minister told the said in the assembly that he regretted his remarks. He said, "What I meant by saying what I said was that we should ensure the defeat of the Congress in the next election. I don’t have any personal differences with Siddaramaiah. I have only political and ideological differences."

Congress leaders have already filed complaints against Narayan and Kateel at Malleshwaram Police Station in Bengaluru.