Former Chief Minister and JD(S) leader H.D. Kumaraswamy on Wednesday dared Sangh Parivar outfits like Vishwa Hindu Parishat (VHP) and Bajrang Dal to take to the streets against the continuing price rise.
Participating in a programme titled ‘Sarva Janangada Shantiya Thota (A garden where all communities live in peace)‘ organised by Loknayak J.P. Vichara Vedike in Mysuru, Mr. Kumaraswamy said the JD(S) was ready to join hands with the Sangh Parivar outfits if it took to the streets against the continuing price rise.
He said price of petrol had reached ₹111 in Bengaluru, while the prices of diesel and LPG too had risen considerably, making it difficult for the common man. The ruling BJP has already drawn criticism from its political opponents for provoking communal unrest in the State through the party’s frontal organisations to divert attention from the price rise ahead of the Assembly elections next year.
He came down on the activists of the ruling BJP’s frontal organisations for spreading communal disharmony in the State by raising sensitive religious issues. He accused the Sangh Parivar activists of bringing disrespect to the revered saffron coloured cloth by wearing it and disrupting peace in the society. He also took on the activists of the Sangh Parivar outfits for trying to create a ‘Ravana Rajya’ while taking the name of Sri Rama. He said the BJP’s frontal organisations were aiming for converting Karnataka into another Uttar Pradesh. “But, you will never achieve your goal. It is not possible in Karnataka,” he said.
He also appealed to the Muslim community, particularly the youth, to remain calm and conduct themselves responsibly without giving others an opportunity to target them for wrongdoing.
He also sought to make it clear that he was not taking on the Hindutva organisations for the sake of creating a vote-bank. He said he already got the opportunity of becoming the Chief Minister of the State twice and his only intention was to ensure that harmony among different communities in the State and its 6.5 crore people.
Earlier, former Union Minister C.M. Ibrahim addressed the gathering and said the erstwhile Maharajas of Mysore used the respect the concept of hijab practiced by Muslim women. “He would send carts fitted with screens for girl students practicing hijab for their transportation between their houses and educational institutions,” he said.
The programme was inaugurated by litterateur Aravind Malagatti while Sri Basavalinga Murthy Sharanaru of Basava Dhyana Mandira, Reverend Gurushanth from CSI, Mysuru, Maulana Zakaulla Siddiqui from All India Milli Council and veteran journalist B.M. Hanif also spoke on the occasion.
