Its for those against Bengaluru's security to apologise: Tejasvi Surya

Bengaluru: Newly-appointed BJP Yuva Morcha chief Tejasvi Surya, MP, on Wednesday virtually rejected the demands for apology over his “Bengaluru terror epicentre” comment which has drawn criticism from opposition parties, saying it has to be tendered by those against the city’s security. Bengaluru had given him the identity and those against the city’s security should apologise and not him, Surya said adding he was for the safety and security of Bengalurians.

The MP, who represents Bengaluru South Lok Sabha segment, had claimed on Sunday that Bengaluru has become an epicentre of terror activities, after requesting Union Home Minister Amit Shah to set up a permanent division of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in the city. His comments evoked sharp criticism from opposition Congress and JD(S) with former Karnataka chief minister H D Kumaraswamy even calling it an insult to Bengaluru had urged BJP to seek an apology from Surya.

“Bengaluru gave me education, food, and made me Parliamentarian…. It has given me an identity in the country….I’m identified as a boy from Bengaluru. It is my place,” Survya said when asked by reporters whether he would apologise over his controversial remark. Speaking after visiting the state BJP office for the first time after being appointed as party Yuva Morcha National President, he said, if some one recruiting people for ISIS was arrested in Bengaluru it pained him.

“If a mob of two thousand people attacks a police station here for some social media post, it boils my blood,” he said, referring to the violence unleashed by a mob here in August. “People who don’t want NIA in Bengaluru for the safety of the city, those from Congress who nurtured jihadi organisations like KFD (Karnataka Forum for Dignity), PFI, SDPI while in power by withdrawing cases against them and allowed them to do goondagiri. It is they who have to seek apology from Bengalurians as they are against Bengaluru’s interest,” he added.

He said he had advocated for NIA division in Bengaluru so that it doesn’t become a place for terrorists. “Those who are worried that Congress and SDPI match-fixing politics will get spoiled are opposing NIA for Bengaluru,” Surya said.

Responding to a question about failure to maintain social distance by gathering a large crowd near the party office and arriving in a procession, Surya merely said, the party workers had gathered out of happiness that one of their own has been given the national responsibility and nothing was planned.