Mangaluru, May 25 (PTI) Dakshina Kannada district unit of the Congress is set to file a defamation case against Belthangady MLA Harish Poonja for making false allegations against Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in a recent speech.

In the speech, Poonja had alleged that Siddaramaiah was responsible for the death of 24 Hindu workers in the district during his rule between 2013-18. The audio and video clips of the speech had gone viral on social media.

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Addressing reporters here on Thursday, district Congress committee president Harish Kumar MLC said the party intends to file a defamation case against Poonja for his remarks.

He wondered why the previous BJP government in the State did not enquire into the murders if the allegation was true. Strong legal action should be taken against Poonja for the statement, Kumar said.

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Meanwhile, KPCC coordinator and former corporator Pratibha Kulai also submitted a memorandum to the IGP (Western Range) Dr Chandra Gupta demanding stringent action against Poonja for his comments against Siddramaiah.

Speaking to reporters, Kulai said Poonja's statement should be condemned. The BJP MLAs are polarising the society by spreading hatred, she alleged.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)