Bengaluru, Oct 22 (IANS): National Students Union of India (NSUI) in a letter to National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS) has sought 'urgent mental health care' for Karnataka BJP leaders.

The BJP leaders named in the letter includes state BJP President Nalin Kumar Kateel, National General Secretary C.T.Ravi, Minister for Rural Development K.S.Eshwarappa and BJP MLA Basavanagouda Patil Yatnal.

"The BJP leaders are repeatedly making racist, casteist, baseless and unwarranted statements against senior Congress politicians by calling them a'drug peddler' and yearning to open Hookah bar in the name of former Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru," said NSUI National General Secretary Nagesh Kariyappa.

(Clockwise): Nalin Kumar Kateel, Basavanagouda Patil Yatnal, C T Ravi and K S Eshwarappa

"Such conduct from so called BJP leaders only swerve youth of the nation towards substance abuse but also imparts ill effects on mental health of the general public. This kind of behavior from such senior politicians essentially indicates that they are suffering from high degrees of psychiatric disabilities, which require immediate medical assistance," Nagesh Kariyappa told IANS.

NIMHANS is a renowned mental health centre and known for providing high standards of clinical care.

"I am very hopeful that your institute will surely be able to help them. We are also contemplating to request rehabilitation centres to accommodate BJP leaders," he said in the letter to NIMHANS.