Karnataka: BJP MLA’s ‘homa’ protest over Quran recitation draws flak from Congress

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Congress leaders in Hubballi have accused Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Arvind Bellad of trying to stir communal tensions after he led a “mulla moksha homa,” a symbolic ritual, to protest the recitation of Quran at a government event. The party alleged that Bellad was distorting facts about the programme, which saw recital of both Hindu and Islamic prayers in keeping with the area’s local customs, to politicise a routine civic function.

The controversy stems from a government programme held on October 5 in Vishal Nagar, Old Hubballi, to lay the foundation stone for development projects worth Rs 10 crore under the Hubballi-Dharwad Municipal Corporation, Public Works Department, and Hubli Electricity Supply Company Limited (HESCOM). District in-charge minister Santosh Lad and several officials were present at the event.

Bellad alleged that the event was conducted like a Congress party programme, complete with banners displaying party symbols and leaders. He also objected to the recitation of the Quran at the ceremony, calling it a “violation of government protocol.” In a letter to Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh, Bellad demanded disciplinary action against officials, including Hubballi-Dharwad Municipal Commissioner Rudresh Ghali and Zilla Panchayat CEO Bhuvanesh Patil, accusing them of behaving “like party guests instead of enforcing administrative ethics.”

“This is a blatant misuse of government platforms by the Congress government in Karnataka. A publicly funded event was hijacked and turned into a party show,” Bellad said in a post on social media, warning that the issue would be raised in the upcoming Assembly session.

In protest, Bellad led BJP workers in conducting the homa on Friday, October 10, in Dharwad. Priests chanted shlokas during the ritual, which BJP leaders said was meant to “purify” government departments and register their opposition to the Quran recitation at the Hubballi event.

As per a report by The Hindu, Congress leader and president of Anjuman-e-Islam, Dharwad, Ismail Tamatgar, said Bellad’s allegations were baseless and politically motivated. “The programme was held at Vishal Nagar, not Siddharoodh Mutt. In every locality, events are conducted according to the customs of the majority. In that area, both shlokas and Quran verses were recited,” he said.

The report said Tamatgar criticised Bellad’s symbolic ritual, calling it “highly condemnable” and aimed at creating a communal divide. “We live in a secular country. Bellad should respect all religions. If he truly believes in harmony, he should help establish a common protocol for all government events instead of targeting one community,” he added.

He also took a jibe at the MLA, saying, “When incidents like rape, drug abuse, or even an attempt to throw a paper at the Chief Justice of India occurred, Bellad didn’t think of performing a homa. If reciting the Quran has harmed anyone, let him perform a homa for that.”