A major controversy erupted on Thursday over alleged misrepresentation of the map of India, displayed by the Congress to mark the centenary of the 1924 Congress session in Karnataka’s Belagavi.
According to a PTI report, the ruling Congress in the state has put up posters across the district to mark the event. The Bharatiya Janata Party and its NDA ally Janata Dal (Secular) have claimed that the map of India featured on these posters omits the Gilgit region of Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK) and the Chinese-occupied Aksai Chin, both integral parts of Jammu and Kashmir.
BJP’s vote-bank politics charge at Cong
The BJP took to X and hit out at Congress, saying,”RaGa’s Mohabbat ki Dukaan is always open for China! They would break the nation. They’ve done it once. They’ll do it again.”
The BJP Karnataka unit termed the “incorrect depiction” of the Indian map as a way to appease its “vote bank”. “@INCKarnataka, has shown utter disrespect for India’s sovereignty by displaying a distorted map at their Belagavi event, portraying Kashmir as part of Pakistan. All this just to appease their vote bank. This is shameful!” the party posted on ‘X’.
BJP’s Vijayapura MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal demanded that the police register a case against the organisers.
“The publication of an incorrect map of India not only constitutes a breach of Geospatial information standards but also violates the law,” Yatnal said in a post on ‘X’.
According to him, under section 74 of the IPC, displaying a wrong map of India is a clear offence. It is also a violation of the National Honour Act.
“This is the way how the Congress celebrates its historic CWC session by distorting the map of India, not showing PoK as part of Indian territory. Shame on @INCKarnataka.”
“I appeal to the @SPBelagavi to register a case against the organizers for wrongfully depicting the map of India immediately,” he said. The JD(S) in a post on ‘X’ said, “The Italian Congress has omitted the territory of Kashmir from the map of India drawn in Belgaum under the name ‘Gandhi Bharat’. Distorting and altering the map of India is a serious criminal act, like treason.”
Karnataka deputy CM clarified
Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, also the state party chief, said the posters would be removed if there was a mistake.
“Some leaders might have made some mistake, we are removing everything. Don’t try to pick a small stone in the curd… We have done according to Indian tradition and values of those days… BJP is there to attack us, they can’t digest. There is no medicine for jealousy. Let them do what they want…” he was quoted by PTI as saying.