A conflict has arisen between the ruling Congress party and the opposition BJP in Karnataka over the “regional identity” of a wild elephant that crossed state borders and killed a man in the neighboring state of Kerala. The BJP has accused the Congress of misusing state funds to compensate the victim, who was from Rahul Gandhi’s constituency in Kerala. The elephant, which was radio-collared by the Karnataka forest department, killed a resident of Wayanad on February 10th. The BJP has criticized the Karnataka government for releasing compensation to the victim and has questioned why Karnataka should be responsible for compensating a victim from another state. Rahul Gandhi, the former Wayanad MP, requested the Karnataka forest minister to provide compensation on humanitarian grounds. The incident has sparked protests and tensions between Karnataka and Kerala. Former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy has also criticized the Karnataka government’s decision to pay compensation to the victim, contrasting it with the government’s response to drought-hit farmers in the state. A letter purportedly written by Karnataka forest minister Eshwar Khandre to Gandhi has been circulating, in which Khandre explains that the compensation was provided based on advice received from a Congress general secretary and former Wayanad MP. The article notes that Kerala has not announced any compensation for the victim’s family. The article also states that there has been no response from Khandre regarding the letter.
BJP criticizes Congress over compensation for Wayanad elephant attack, asserts animals are not citizens of any state
