BJP leader and chairman of Karnataka State Electronics Development Corporation Ltd (KEONICS) Harikrishna Bantwal said here on Saturday that Congress leader Siddaramaiah has no moral rights to speak on the Narayana Guru tableau issue as the former Chief Minister had “humiliated” the social reformer by not visiting the Gokarnanathaeswara Temple founded by Narayana Guru, in Mangaluru in 2016.
Addressing presspersons here on Saturday Mr. Bantwal said that when Mr. Siddaramaiah was the Chief Minister he was to visit the temple at Kudroli in the city during Dasara celebrations on an invitation by senior Congres leader and promoter of the temple B. Janardhan Poojary.
Though he was in the city, he made Mr. Poojary wait for four hours and left the city without visiting the temple. Mr. Siddaramaiah spent his time at the residence of then MLC and the Congress leader Ivan D’Souza without visiting the temple. Thus, Mr. Bantwal alleged, Mr. Siddaramaiah exhibited his “disrespect” to Narayana Guru.
“If Mr. Siddaramaiah is so concerned about Narayana Guru why did he not visit the temple then?,” he questioned and said that the Congress leaders who are now raising the tableau issue stating that it is an insult to the social reformer kept mum without questioning Mr. Siddaramaiah for cancelling his visit.
Mr. Bantwal claimed that the then Chief Minister’s media secretary Dinesh Ameen Mattu had likened the Kudroli temple to a tomb built for Narayana Guru. “Was it not a humiliation done to the social reformer. Why did the Congress leaders did not question this?” he asked.
He said that none of the Congress leaders in Kerala are speaking on the tableau issue. But only in Karnakata, the Congress leaders are making it an issue as the Congress fears that it has lost its ground in the State. The Congress leaders in the State are indulging in vote-bank politics and are dragging the name of Narayana Guru thinking that it will help the party politically. But they will not succeed in it.
The chairman said that the CPI(M) in Kerala is fearing that it will become weak as a number of youth who are followers of Narayana Guru are deserting the party and joining the Congress and the BJP. Hence the CPI(M) raised this matter for its political purpose.
Mr. Bantwal said that the name of Naryana Guru should not be politicised. He was above religion and caste.
