New Delhi, Nov 6 : Commenting on the alleged attempts to contain the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) by the Congress-led government in Karnataka, Deputy Chief Minister and State Congress President D.K. Shivakumar said on Thursday that the state government "never said that it intends to control the RSS", adding that "permission must be obtained for conducting events in public places".

The Deputy Chief Minister said: "We never said we would control the RSS."

Speaking to the media in New Delhi, Shivakumar responded to queries about the issue.

When asked about alleged attempts and statements on controlling the RSS, he replied, "Where did we ever say we would control the RSS? We only said that permission must be obtained for conducting programmes in public places -- this applies to everyone."

"Where did we mention the RSS? The issue was already being discussed publicly. As per a directive issued by former Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar-led BJP government when he was in power in the state, anyone wishing to hold a public programme must seek permission. We never said that the RSS cannot hold programmes," Shivakumar clarified.

When asked whether the state government had suffered a setback due to the High Court's order dismissing the appeal petition questioning the stay order by the government on its order in this regard, he said, "There is no setback for the government. We will sit with our legal team and discuss the matter."

"We respect the judiciary," he underlined.

Speaking about the Mekedatu project issue, Shivakumar said, "They are planning to form a separate bench to look into it. A date will be fixed, and let's pray that justice is done to our state."

He also announced that "Strict action will be taken against those who have not been active in Karnataka's signature campaign against voter fraud".

When asked whether protests would be held in Karnataka regarding the alleged voter fraud in Haryana, Shivakumar said, "Certainly, we will. We have already collected lakhs of signatures. We will take them to Delhi on November 9."

"I will be holding discussions with Congress' block presidents. Strict action will be taken against those who have not worked actively in this campaign. The AICC General Secretaries have instructed that those who fail to discharge their duties properly in the signature campaign should be removed from their posts," he added.

"I will discuss this with the Chief Minister and inform the MLAs as well," he said.

"Voter fraud is a serious national issue. We have already collected around 70'80 lakh signatures in our state. Some MLAs and block-level Congress leaders have not taken this seriously -- strict action will be taken against such individuals," Shivakumar added.

"I will submit my report. I have the authority to remove party's block presidents from their positions. Regarding MLAs, I will inform the Chief Minister, and AICC leaders will give directions," he said.

When asked why the Election Commission was not taking the allegations of voter fraud in Haryana seriously, especially after similar issues were reported in Karnataka and Maharashtra, Shivakumar said, "In a democratic system, the people are supreme. We are making them aware of these issues, and they will make the right decision at the appropriate time. We are informing citizens about what is happening in the country."

"We know what happened in Bengaluru South constituency -- we (Congress) lost there. Let's not discuss my own Assembly constituency now; Rahul Gandhi himself is presenting evidence of irregularities in other constituencies before the public," he concluded.

/IANS