Veerabhadra Channamalla Swami of Nidumamidi Mutt has criticised BJP leaders Anantkumar Hegde, Pratap Simha and KS Eshwarappa and claimed that they were enough to defeat BJP in Karnataka.
Speaking at the Komu Souharda Vedike’s 15th anniversary in Chikkamagaluru, he said that secularism is the basic principle of the Constitution. “Time has come for peace-loving people of the State to decide whom to choose. Should we choose those opposing the Constitution, reservation, social justice, equality? People should decide,” he said as perThe Hindu.
He said that Congress need not work hard to win the upcoming elections. “Neither Congress president Rahul Gandhi nor Chief Minister Siddaramaiah need to work hard to defeat the BJP, as Mr. Hegde, Mr. Simha and Mr. Eshwarappa are making it possible,” he said.
He also added that both Hindus and Muslims should oppose those disturbing communal harmony in the name of Hindutva. Pointing out the demolition of Babri Masjid in 1992 as a flashpoint, he said, “Before that, violence was limited to Jammu and Kashmir. Communalism and terrorism are two faces of the same coin.”
Meanwhile, BJP State President BS Yeddyurappa said that he had advised young leaders in the party – Anantkumar Hegde and Pratap Simha – against issuing sensitive statements but instead campaign for development in the state. “Elected representatives should not exceed their brief and should discharge their obligations within the framework of law. Young MPs should work with an inclusive spirit and maintain dignity of their office,” he said in an interview with The Hindu..
Yeddyurappa was commenting on statements made by Hegde about changing the Constitution, which sparked an uproar in the ongoing winter session of the parliament in Delhi. Hegde’s remarks were severely criticised by opposition leaders while the BJP themselves attempted to distance themselves from the leader’s statements.
Hegde and Pratap Simha have been in the news over the last few months under controversial circumstances. In an earlier speech at the Parivartana Yatra in Kundapur, Hegde had sarcastically suggested that the Congress government will soon start celebrating terrorists like Ajmal Kasab and Osama Bin Laden. “Today, they will celebrate Tipu Jayanti, then Hyder Ali, then Afzal Guru, Ajmal Kasab and Bin Laden,” he had said on November 13.
Meanwhile Simha was arrested on the eve of Hanuman Jayanti celebrations in Mysuru last month when violent clashes marred festival celebrations.