BJP leaders condemned the statement of the Congress MLC, besides demanding his arrest and an inquiry on his statements.
Published Jan 03, 2024 | 8:23 PM ⚊ Updated Jan 03, 2024 | 8:25 PM
File photo of BK Hariprasad. (HariprasadBK2/X)
A Karnataka Congress leader’s word of caution to the Siddaramaiah government to beware of “agenda-driven Godhra-like” incident ahead of Ram Temple consecration in Ayodhya has sparked off a feverish row.
Karnataka Congress veteran BK Hariprasad stirred fresh controversy on Wednesday, 3 January, by suspecting a potential “Godhra-like incident” in Karnataka ahead of the Ram temple consecration ceremony in Ayodhya on 22 January.
Expressing concern, he urged the Karnataka government to remain vigilant, citing the 2002 Godhra train burning case in Gujarat and warning against the possibility of a similar situation in Karnataka.
Hariprasad claimed that certain organisations had instigated BJP leaders, hinting at a politically motivated agenda behind the upcoming religious event.
Additionally, he emphasised viewing the invitation to the event extended to Congress leaders as a political rather than religious gesture.
He also said that he would have attended the consecration ceremony in Ayodhya if religious heads were inaugurating the temple instead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah — both BJP stalwarts.
Enraged by the statements, BJP leaders demanded his arrest and legal action against him. The Opposition in Karnataka also blamed the ruling party in the state for creating communal tensions ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah refrained from commenting on Hariprasad’s statement.
Congress MLC BK Hariprasad told reporters in Bengaluru on Wednesday: “There is a lot of difference between agitation and crime. The Ram Mandir is not an agitation. When the Babri mosque was demolished, criminal cases were registered against the members of the ‘Margadarshak Mandal’ — BJP veterans LK Advani, Murali Manohar Joshi, and Uma Bharti.”
He recalled: “This case was dismissed in a lower court. When Advani’s name was proposed for the President of India, that case was brought up again. This criminal case is still pending before the apex court.”
He also said: “We cannot set kar sevaks (a term used here to refer to volunteers who joined the Ram temple movement, but also used to denote volunteers of right-wing Hindu organisations) free if they are accused in other cases.”
He also noted that BJP leaders were asking why kar sevaks had been arrested now, it was because “they were hiding”. He added: “They have been arrested now as they were named in 12-13 cases.”
Hariprasad continued: “It is not new what all these people have done in the name of religion. Hence, there is nothing wrong in taking police action until the matter is settled in the apex court.”
The Karnataka BJP, it may be noted, has been protesting against the Congress over the arrest of two kar sevaks linked to the Babri Masjid case.
He further said: “The Supreme Court arguments clearly say that it was a politically motivated movement. There is no history of destroying a prayer place and building one on it. I will clearly say it is not a religious event.”
Appealing to the Karnataka government to beef up security in the state, Hariprasad said: “The government must take all precautions and tighten the security in Karnataka.”
Invoking Godhra, he said: “They are attempting to replicate a similar incident in Karnataka. We must not allow such untoward incidents to happen here. We need to provide ample security to all those who visit Ayodhya; we cannot afford another Godhra in Karnataka.”
He also said: “There is an absolute possibility for such an incident. I can even give information (related to it). I can tell you that the heads of some organisations went to some states and instigated some BJP leaders. I cannot say that openly. They are doing it. They are instigating such acts.”
Hariprasad also said that the upcoming Ram temple consecration ceremony was a “political event” not a “religious event”.
Regarding Congress leaders being invited to the consecration ceremony in Ayodhya, Hariprasad said the event should be seen politically and not religiously.
Hariprasad told reporters: “If a Hindu religious leader inaugurated the Ram temple, then you and I would have gone there (to Ayodhya) without any invitation.”
He continued: “My knowledge tells me that the four Shankaracharyas are the head of the Hindu religion. If the four Shankaracharyas or any religious head had inaugurated the event, I would have attended the event.”
The Congress leader then said: “Narendra Modi and Amit Shah are not ‘dharma guru’ but political leaders. We have to take this into consideration.”
Coming heavily on Hariprasad, BJP leaders — including former Karnataka chief minister and incumbent MP DV Sadananda Gowda — demanded his arrest, stating that his statements were aimed at provoking communal tensions in Karnataka.
Sadananda Gowda noted in a conversation with reporters in Bengaluru: “Hariprasad has worked as the Congress’ general secretary and is a former Rajya Sabha member.”
Regarding the MLC’s statements, the BJP leader said: “I feel that it is the conspiracy of the Congress. If such incidents occur, Hariprasad should be arrested first and put under investigation to ascertain the details of the incident.”
He added: “I appeal to the Bengaluru City Police commissioner to immediately arrest Hariprasad and put him under inquiry to get to the root of his statements.”
Expressing anguish in his post on X, BJP MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal said: “He should be arrested and interrogated. Has the Congress hatched such a conspiracy against Ram devotees?”
He added: “It is clear that the Congress is trying to start a riot before the Lok Sabha polls.”
“ಅಯೋಧ್ಯೆಗೆ ಹೋಗುವವರ ಮೇಲೆ ಗೋದ್ರಾ ಮಾದರಿಯ ಅಟ್ಯಾಕ್ ಆಗಬಹುದು” – ಬಿ.ಕೆ ಹರಿಪ್ರಸಾದ್
ಈ ಮನುಷ್ಯನನ್ನು ಬಂಧಿಸಿ ವಿಚಾರಣೆ ಮಾಡಬೇಕು, ಕಾಂಗ್ರೆಸ್ ಪಕ್ಷ ರಾಮ ಭಕ್ತರ ಮೇಲೆ ಇಂತಹ ಸಂಚು ರೂಪಿಸಿದೆಯೇ ?
ಕಾಂಗ್ರೆಸ್ ಪಕ್ಷ ಲೋಕಸಭೆ ಚುನಾವಣೆಗಾಗಿ ಗಲಭೆ ಮಾಡಿಸಲು ಪ್ರಯತ್ನಿಸುತ್ತಿರುವುದು ಸ್ಪಷ್ಟವಾಗಿದೆ. @DgpKarnataka ಕ್ರಮ ಯಾವಾಗ?
— Basanagouda R Patil (Yatnal) (@BasanagoudaBJP) January 3, 2024
The Babri Masjid demolition on 6 December, 1992, was seen as a watershed moment in Indian politics and society as a whole.
On that fateful day, a team of kar sevaks — under the aegis of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and other right-wing organisations — demolished the 16th-century mosque that the Archaeological Survey of India said stood on the same ground that once housed a non-Muslim religious structure.
The demolition was the culmination of a VHP campaign from the 1980s to build a Ram temple in Ayodhya — on what was perceived as the birthplace of one of the human incarnations of Lord Vishnu.
The countrywide communal riots that followed were said to have resulted in around 2,000 deaths.
One of the burnt coaches of the Sabarmati Express in Godhra. (Creative Commons)
The 27 February, 2002, train-burning case at the Godhra railway station in Gujarat also involved kar sevaks.
They and Hindu pilgrims were among the 59 people killed when four train compartments of the Sabarmati Express returning from Ayodhya caught fire.
The reason behind the fire remains disputed to this day, with some claiming that a mob of 2,000 people started the fire, while inquiries said it was an accident.
The official toll in the ensuing three-day violence — in which both Hindus and Muslims were targeted — across Gujarat was 1,044. Narendra Modi was the state’s chief minister back then.
