BENGALURU/BELAGAVI: The Congress stood by its women's wing chief Laxmi R Hebbalkar even as the opposition demanded her ouster, saying she had betrayed the state's interests by vowing to chant "Jai Maharashtra".While Hebbalkar and senior Congressmen said she had been quoted out of context, BJP and pro-Kannada activists said she had exposed the hypocrisy of the Siddaramaiah government in promoting the Kannada cause.Hebbalkar came under the spotlight on Thursday after television channels aired a speech of hers before a Marathi-speaking group at Basarikatte village, 13km from Belagavi, bordering Maharashtra, on August 27. In the video, she is heard saying: "If Belagavi becomes a part of Maharashtra I will be the first person to hold the flag and say Jai Maharashtra."The video soon went viral and Hebbalkar began receiving brickbats on social media. One Twitter comment read: "Congress tried all ways to woo Kannadigas. Laxmi Hebbalkar destroyed the plan in one shot." While Hebbalkar offered a public apology , Congress said the opposition was stirring up a controversy for no reason. "Laxmi Hebbalkar has clarified on her statements. We don't see anything wrong in those statements.Hence no action is warranted against her," KPCC president G Parameshwara said.The opposition lost no time in pouncing on the opportunity . BJP MP and former minister Shobha Karandlaje said Hebbalkar's comment reflected Congress' hypocrisy ."CM Siddaramaiah keeps writing letters to the Centre on the Kannada flag issue or use of Hindi signboards but he has nothing say about Hebbalkar's statement. On the other hand, BJP has never played politics over land and language," said Karandlaje.Hebbalkar offered a public apology but maintained that her speech had been incorrectly interpreted by the media and blown out of proportion by her political detractors."The Marathi youth in Belagavi have been brainwashed by the Maharashtra Ekikaran Samithi (MES) against Karnataka and are made to believe that the Karnataka government is their enemy . The MES had filed a case in Supreme Court stating that Belagavi should be made part of Maharashtra but the court had termed the claim illegal. This being the ground reality , I was telling the Marathi youth that Belagavi will always remain a part of Karnataka and if it ever became a part of Maharashtra, I will be the first to say Jai Maharashtra," Hebbalkar explained.Energy minister D K Shiva Kumar, who is also the Congress campaign committee chief, defended Hebbalkar saying her statements had been misconstrued and she had done no wrong. CM Siddaramaiah dismissed the issue, saying BJP leaders were trying to create a controversy and make Hebbalkar a scapegoat.In the audio clip available with TOI, Laxmi Hebbalkar is heard addressing the gathering in Marathi. She uses the phrase, "zaalach pahije (must happen)", which is often chanted by MES workers. "Belagaon, Karwar, Bidar, Bhalki, Khanapur, Nippani samyukta Maharashtra zaalach pahije (Belagavi, Karwar, Bidar, Bhalki, Khanapur and Nippani must become part of a unified Maharashtra)", goes the MES chant.Hebbalkar says: "In the present situation, development of the constituency is zalach pahije. Presently, we (Belagavi) are in Karnataka and the border dispute is in the Supreme Court.Let the verdict come. If the verdict says Belagavi is in Maharashtra, I will be the first person to hold the Maharashtra flag and chant Jai Maharashtra". She also says: "Nobody has the courage to say this. I don't fear anybody except God and my parents. I don't believe in caste, religions and borders... I want only development of Belagavi (rural) constituency".

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