Reacting to BJP leaders’ demand for Karnataka chief minister’s media advisor Dinesh Amin Mattu resignation after he made a statement on the arrests of terror suspects, Mattu claimed that the party members had misconstrued his statement.
BJP Karnataka spokesperson Suresh Kumar in a letter to CM on Monday reportedly said that Mattu had demoralised the recent arrests of terror suspects by security forces and that he had given “communal colour” to terrorism. Terming his statement as “dangerous” he said he must be removed as he was over-riding the interest of the government.
Mattu told The News Minute that the statement, which he made in a seminar organised by a Pustaka Preeti publication on secularism and its challenges in Bengaluruon Saturday, had been placed out of context.
“I spoke in general, not just about recent arrests. I meant to say that probe into these arrests that take place before National Holidays are very slow. Sometimes suspects languish in jail for years together before they are acquitted. Who takes responsibility of the damage?" he asked.
“Suresh is a good friend of mine and I am open for a debate on fighting communalism. I said let both of us quit and take an oath not to join any political party. I told him let’s get together and work for a secular India,” he said.
"This is not the first time. It all started around 2010 I wrote a column about not-so-glorious part life of Swami Vivekananda. They thought I was insulting him and since then, they have targeted me ever since," he added.
Mattu said that he is not only against Hindu fundamentalist groups but any kind of fundamentalist organisation.
“I am against the Popular Front of India as much as I am against VHP and Bajrang Dal. But whatever I say or do is look,” he added.