DK Shivakumar slams Chandrashekarnatha Swami’s statement on Muslim voting rights

BENGALURU: Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Friday condemned Chandrashekarnatha Swami’s now-retracted statement suggesting the revocation of Muslim voting rights while also slamming Leader of Opposition R Ashok for staying silent when the Janata Dal filed a case against Balagangadharanath Swami.

Speaking to reporters at Vidhana Soudha, Shivakumar said, “The Swamiji has apologised for his statement on Muslim voting rights. I am happy about it. Everyone has voting rights in a democracy, and caste and religion must not be brought into this.”

Referring to Ashoka, Shivakumar added, “When former minister Channigappa of the JDS filed a case against Balagangadharanath Swamiji and made him run to courts, where was Ashok? The Swamiji had done nothing wrong, yet they pursued the case. The law is the same for everyone. Ashok is playing with fire, and the Vokkaliga community will not forgive him.”

#WATCH | Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM DK Shivakumar participated in the Hubba celebration at Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru. pic.twitter.com/6rpa4Psnmx

— ANI (@ANI) November 30, 2024

Responding to Ashok’s accusation that he uses the Vokkaliga community, Shivakumar said, “I have never used the community. All castes are equal in a democracy.”

A case has been registered against Vishwa Vokkaliga Mahasamsthana Math seer Kumara Chandrashekarnatha Swami for his contentious statement on the Waqf properties row. The seer sparked controversy by suggesting that a law should be enacted to strip the Muslim community of voting rights. However, he later retracted the statement, calling it a “slip of the tongue.” (ANI)