FIR against Union minister Shobha Karandlaje after DMK's complaint to ECI

District election officer in Bengaluru has acted upon the complaint against the Union minister and sitting MP from Udupi-Chikkamagulur, Shobha Karandlaje, and filed an FIR at Cottonpet police station on Thursday. The ruling party in Tamil Nadu, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) filed a complaint with the Election Commission after Karandlaje linked the suspect in the Rameshwaram cafe blast with Tamil Nadu during a protest in Bengaluru.

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Acting on the DMK’s complaint, the ECI directed the DEO of Bengaluru to file an FIR against the MP. She has been booked under 23 (3A), 125 and 123 (3) of the Representation of People Act.

During a protest against an attack on a Shopkeeper in Bengaluru, the BJP MP on Tuesday said, "Law and order in Karnataka has deteriorated. People who come from Tamil Nadu plant bombs here, people from Delhi chant 'Pakistan Zindabad' slogans and people who come from Kerala were involved in acid attacks."

However, Karandlaje took back her words after a severe backlash and issued an unconditional apology.

"To my Tamil brothers & sisters, I wish to clarify that my words were meant to shine light, not cast shadows. Yet I see that my remarks brought pain to some - and for that, I apologize. My remarks were solely directed towards those trained in the Krishnagiri forest, linked to the Rameshwaram Cafe blast. To anyone from Tamil Nadu affected, from the depths of my heart, I ask your forgiveness. Furthermore, I retract my previous comments," she wrote in an X post.

In a complaint to EC, DMK said that Karandlaje's statement ‘attempts to promote feelings of enmity and hatred between the people of Karnataka and the people of Tamil Nadu, and has been made for the furtherance’ of her election prospects. Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin had also condemned the words of the union minister and urged the EC to take action.