Bengaluru, Jan 30 : The Karnataka Government and Opposition continued to spar on Tuesday over the issue of removal of a Hanuman flag in Keragodu Village of Mandya District recently.

The BJP had held protests in all district headquarters condemning the move.

Commenting on the row, Deputy Chief Minister, DK Shivakumar, said in Bengaluru on Tuesday that the people in Mandya and old Mysuru region were living peacefully and the BJP was attempting to disturb the peace there as well.

'All people in the villages in Karnataka live in brotherhood and together they celebrate all festivals. The BJP leaders have brought a new experiment which will destroy the harmony between the people,' he stated.

The Hanuman flag was hoisted in spite of the Gram Panchayat permitting only the Tricolour or regional flag to be put up there.

'Where did the slogan 'Har Ghar Tiranga' coined by the BJP go? Let them keep hoisting the flag of Hanuman instead of the national flag,' Shivakumar stated.

Minister for Agriculture, N Chaluvarayaswamy, speaking from Mandya on Tuesday stated that it was painful to see former Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy making efforts to destroy the peace of the people of Mandya District.

Addressing a conference over the Hanuman flag row, Chaluvarayaswamy, also district incharge of Mandya stated, 'Mr. Kumaraswamy don't forget that with the support of people of Mandya, you have become the CM. Do not destroy their lives here. Being a responsible leader of the Opposition, you should ensure that the government is on the right track. You can't indulge in destroying peace. The people of the district had given you the power. In the last elections they have blessed us. If we don't tread the right path, they will also teach us a lesson. You have to remember this. Do not encourage the forces who are against the Constitution and democracy. We don't know who provoked the people to hoist a Hanuman flag, it might have been done to gain political benefits during election time,' he said.

Meanwhile, Sumalatha Ambareesh, MP from Mandya questioned the defence of the government in this regard.

'The government is claiming that they are ensuring strict implementation of the law. In this respect, could they only see the Hanuman flag? Including Mandya, there is illegal mining and encroachments of lakes, why is the government silent on these issues'? Sumalatha Ambareesh questioned.

'The Hanuman flag did not hurt feelings of any religion. It was not hoisted to provoke minorities. There was no problem with it. If there was government action on every illegality, it could have been understood. People of Mandya react differently than other parts of the state. They are really hurt. The government should agree to its mistake and find a solution,' she said.

'The Hanuman flag was hoisted at a public place. It was not hoisted on a sacred place belonging to another religion. The issue could have been resolved peacefully and in a simple manner by holding talks with villagers. The government woke up to the issue six days after hoisting of the Hanuman flag and gave it a political twist,' Sumalatha alleged.

The JD-S taking to social media on Tuesday maintained that Lord Hanuman will ensure the end of the Congress party which is acting like a chameleon in the state.

Attacking the Congress it stated, 'You have mentioned saffron. That is our tradition and symbol of local culture. It is a stamp of our belief. For those who don't respect their religion and who only benefit from appeasement politics, the sanctity of rituals, tradition won't be understood. For dirty minds the saffron is also a part of politics,' it stated.

/IANS