BENGALURU: The South Division Police detained Bajrang Dal leader Thejas Gowda early on Tuesday as precautionary measures to prevent any communal disturbance during the conduct of the annual car festival at the Subramanya temple at V V Puram in the city.
The Basavanagudi police also arrested a few Hindu activists. Enraged by this, the outfits have expressed their ire at the BJP government in the state.
A few days ago, Thejas Gowda appealed to the police that not allow non-Hindu traders during the Brahma Rathotsava at the Subramanya temple. It was decided in a meeting of Hindu organisations that non-Hindu traders should not be allowed to carry out business.
But Chickpet MLA Uday Garudachar opposed the idea and said that people of all religions would be allowed at the fair. Following the MLA’s warning, Hindu outfits started campaign on social media to boycott non-Hindu shops.
Thejas Gowda handing over an appeal to the South Division DCP not to allow non-Hindu to trade at Subrahmanya temple car festival few days ago.
In an embarrassing turn of events for the ruling party, Hindu activists are now taking on the BJP saying that they have lost faith in the party after the Praveen Nettaru murder and that there is no protection for Hindu activists. The BJP is a Hindu party only for the sake of it, they have alleted.
The activists have threatened Uday Garudachar that if the arrested activists are not released, the consequencs will be harsh. “How can a non-Hindu be allowed to conduct business at a religious event”, they questioned. “If Uday Garudachar really wants to provide them employment, non-Hindus should also be allowed to trade near masjids in his constituency”, they challenged.
Hindu activists claimed that BJP has used the Hindu name for its own electoral benefit and dumping the ladder (Hindu groups) which helped them climb up. “What was the need to arrest Hindu activists? The police could have waited till morning. The BJP leaders welcome people who are involved in terror acts. We have kept quiet over the incident only because we respect the police and laws. If the police do not release them, we will stage protest”, they warned.
After the controversy over the arrest of Hindu outfits activists, MLA Garudachar told the media, “The temple is private property and is managed by a trust. We have made separate arrangements for people to carry out trade near temple. It is a secular country. Can I blame my own religion? The dispute was created by 10 people. Everyone should live in harmony and all should participate in annual fair. The dispute was pre-planned. Thejas Gowda came to meet me personally few days ago. We all are one. I do not know about the arrest of Hindu activists”, he claimed.
“Some Hindu activists requested me to not allow non-Hindu traders at the temple fair. Everybody works for their livelihood, do we go by caste or religion for that? Some miscreants are creating such disputes intentionally as the Assembly election is ahead. Those who created a dispute do not belong to any Hindu organisation. A group of 4-5 people came to me to get their personal work done. It was not legal and I refused to do it. After that, these issues are cropping up”, he alleged.
“There were Muslims at the Kadalekai Parishe too, but no one questioned it. Why are trouble-makers coming to Chickpet constituency and creating trouble”? he questioned. Further, he claimed that no Hindu activist has been arrested and none of the Hindu organisations had raised the issue of trading during the temple fair. It was only a handful of people. Everyone should follow the Constitution and there should be no room for communal tensions”, Garudachar added.
The MLA even referred to Hindu activists as troublemakers (tarale), but later took back his words and apologised for using such language.