Mangaluru: Former Minister B Ramanath Rai has alleged that minorities are being used as ‘food’ for the BJP, stating that its leaders are surviving only by raking up minority-related issues.
Pointing to the issue of the implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC), Rai said that both the Acts target the Muslim community. “India is a secular country and the BJP government has indulged in dividing the country in the name of religion. By opposing the move of erecting Jesus Christ statue at Kapala Betta in Kanakapura, BJP proved that is against the concept of secularism. Though a temple was built by replacing a Church at New Jersey in the USA, the people of that country accepted the move of the government. When a statue of Basavanna was built in London, no citizens of London opposed the move. However, when there was an attempt to erect Jesus Christ statue at Kanakapura, where Christian people have been offering prayers to Jesus Christ over the years, the leaders of BJP are opposing the move,” Rai lamented.
“The BJP leaders have been raking up communal issues only to gain political mileage. Their hidden agenda is to create violence between the Hindu and Muslim communities. They bring up the issue of India and Pakistan only to divert the attention of the public. Thereby, BJP and its allied parties have indulged in tarnishing the image of a ‘secular’ country,” Rai added.
Rai further clarified that when the Congress government was in power, it never stopped midday meals for Sri Rama Vidya Kendra Kalladka and Sri Devi School at Punacha. “It had stopped the cheque of Rs 4 lakh being provided every month from Kollur temple to the management of these two schools, as it was being used for personal benefits in the pretext of providing midday meals for the school children. I have done the job of preventing misuse of devotees’ money for one’s personal gain,” Rai informed.
Responding to a query on the government’s proposed move of banning the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), Rai said that the BJP government has taken such a decision, eyeing political gains. “If the government has taken such a decision, it may have some political benefit,” he opined.
Congress leaders Shashidhar Hegde, Kodijal Ibrahim, Appi, Monappa Shetty, Sahul Hameed, and others were present.
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