12 April,2009 03:48 PM IST | | Agencies
The BJP said the criminal case filed against party candidate from Kandhamal Lok Sabha seat in Orissa for an alleged hate speech was a conspiracy by the Naveen Patnaik government.
The Kandhamal administration yesterday filed a case against Ashok Sahu, under various sections of the IPC for promoting enmity between classes, for allegedly making a hate speech on April 5. The FIR said Sahu directly "accused Christians of killing VHP leader Laxmananda Saraswati".
Senior BJP leader and former Orissa minister Biswabhusan Harichandan said, "Targetting BJP leaders will not help Naveen Patnaik establish his secular credentials." Sahu also dubbed the filing of the FIR against him as politically motivated.
"The case has been specifically registered on April 10," Sahu said asking why the administration took five days to act. Meanwhile, a senior police officer said, "We have an audio-recording of Sahu's speech at Raikia which has the potential of igniting a communal flare-up in the district, which had witnessed attacks on Christians earlier."
