In the wake of the unfolding political drama where two top political figures — the Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa and the leader of the Janata Dal (Secular) H.D. Kumaraswamy — are meeting for a “test of truth” before the deity at Dharmasthala, a popular temple in south Karnataka, The Hindu spoke to a cross section of Bangaloreans to find out what they think about this unprecedented mode of dispute resolution.
We spoke to a representative sample of citizens — from prominent intellectuals and industrialists to students and activists — and posed the following questions to them.
a) Should persons holding public office use places of worship for dispute resolution?
b) If not, what should have been the forum to which Mr. Yeddyurappa should have taken his grievance against Mr. Kumaraswamy?
c) Do you think Mr. Yeddyurappa's action is a setback to science and reason?
d) Do you think he is justified in using tax payers' money to release advertisements in print media to fight charges levelled against him as an individual?
Here's what they told Public Eye :
D. Saraswathi, Kannada writer and activist : “I would like to ask them if they will next decide who has to be in the Chief Minister's post at Dharmasthala without the elaborate process of elections. We have accepted the Constitution above all religious faiths and we have to respect what is mandated by it. Also let's not forget that as Chief Minister, Mr. Yeddyurappa took the oath in the name of Karnataka's farmers… I believe that our leaders are not even people of true faith, considering they choose religion and gods only when it suits them.”
U.R. Ananthamurthy, writer : “The whole thing is beyond absurd. To look at it comically, I would say it is a way of destroying Manjunatha and I feel sad about it. As a little boy I believed that anyone who told a lie before Manjunatha will come to a bad end. Now I know that one of them, or even both, will lie and nothing will happen to them. [Dharmadhikari of] Dharmasthala Veerendra Heggade should not allow this because they are putting the god in jeopardy.”
Pooja Gandhi, actor : “The Government is accountable for every rupee collected as tax. Spending it on [personal] advertisements is unpardonable. Those holding public offices are answerable to the public. Using public places of worship to resolve a dispute is ridiculous. Mr. Yeddyurappa could offer himself for an inquiry and prove his detractors wrong. As an elected head, he has the responsibility to cultivate scientific temperament in people.”
Satyajit Mayor, Dean, Centre for Biological Science (NCBS) : “This is indeed very distressing at one level, and at another a puerile act out of an old Wild West movie — ‘showdown at high noon'. The fact that he does not use legal recourse is like a call for vigilantism and reflects his lack of respect to the court of law, as well as his disdain for due process.”
Karthik Reddy (UPSC 2011, 11th rank) : “In a democratic society, religion should not be placed in the public domain. Everyone has their own religious belief, so I would not like to pass judgment on whether it is scientific or not. But matters of religion and faith are one's own private affair.”
T.V. Mohandas Pai : “In a secular state, such arrangements are uncalled for, though the two may have their personal preferences to settle the disputes; they must have a secular method to settle differences. Both should appear before the Lokayukta and depose before him by swearing an oath and signing an affidavit, which should become a public record. Taxes are held in trust and should be spent on the welfare of the people. The ad cannot be classified as something done for common good.”
Lokayukta Santosh Hegde : “This has gone far beyond the Constitution system of settling disputes. Will the gods deliver a verdict on who is to be exonerated and who is to be convicted? I think it is just a gimmick to deflect public attention from the real issues. The Chief Minister could have filed a defamation suit. Far from causing a setback to science and reason by their actions, the oath drama is a setback to common sense. When a politician, who is in power, has no right to publicise his photograph along with government schemes, how can the Chief Minister spend public money [on] personal political disputes?
N. Prabhu Dev, Bangalore University Vice-Chancellor : “I would not comment on the wastage of tax payers' money. I don't know how scientific this issue is. But I think it is better to keep religious places out of it. They should not be part of administration.”
