The Hindu : Karnataka News : We will take on pseudo-secularists: Kalyan

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Sep 07, 2004

Karnataka

Karnataka

We will take on pseudo-secularists: Kalyan

By Our Special Correspondent

BJP activists, who had come to participate in the Rashtriya Swabhiman Satyagraha, celebrating the release of the former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister, Uma Bharti, from judicial custody in the Idgah Maidan flag hoisting case, in Bangalore on Monday. — Photo: K. Murali Kumar

BANGALORE, SEPT. 6. With the release of Uma Bharti, former Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, from judicial custody in connection with the Idgah Maidan flag hoisting case, the Bharatiya Janata Party today converted the `Bangalore Satyagraha' into a `Vijayotsav.' The celebrations were led by the party leader and former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Kalyan Singh, who said that it was a new beginning for the BJP in its campaign for nationalism which the party stood for and was against "pseudo-secularism" epitomised by the Congress.

The `Bangalore Satyagraha' was launched by the former Deputy Prime Minister L.K.Advani on September 1 after Ms. Bharti had been remanded in 14 days' judicial custody on August 25. The judicial custody was to end on Tuesday. Mr. Advani courted arrest in Bangalore on September 1 and on each of the subsequent days, a national leader of the party led the protest. Today, the BJP workers did not court arrest.

`Victory rally'

The BJP, having decided to capitalise on the issue, is having a meeting of its national office-bearers in Bangalore on Wednesday when the nationwide plan of action will be chalked out. The former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's programme of addressing a "rally" at the National High School grounds on September 8 at 6 p.m. stands and that it will be converted into a "victory rally" called `Virat Vijayajayanthi Sammelan.' The BJP President, M. Venkaiah Naidu, and Mr. Advani will participate in it.

`Sacrifice' hailed

The BJP was in a celebratory mood, distributing sweets, bursting crackers, and raising slogans eulogising the "sacrifice" of Ms. Bharti (who resigned from the post of Chief Minister and surrendered in the Hubli court). One that rent the air was "Umaji aap sangarsh karo, hum tumhare saath hai" (Umaji you lead the fight, we are with you).

The BJP, Mr. Kalyan Singh said, would not stop at the release of Ms. Bharti. It would take up the issue of nationalism, which was under threat with the Congress and the communists joining hands.

Addressing presspersons, Mr. Kalyan Singh said the BJP had faith in the judiciary and whenever democracy was in danger, that institution had come to its rescue and recalled the post-Emergency period. While expressing happiness over the release of Ms. Bharti, he said the party would be converting the Ms. Bharti episode into an issue between nationalism and pseudo-secularism.

Left attacked

Criticising the Congress leadership for its "vindictive behaviour," Mr. Kalyan Singh said the Congress had "surrendered itself to a foreign woman" without having any sense of pride. The BJP, he reiterated, was clear in its stand that it did not want to see a foreigner as Prime Minister. Attacking the Left parties, he said, they were betraying the nationalistic sentiments of the people. Later addressing the rally, Mr. Kalyan Singh likened Ms. Bharti's release from jail to that of the birth of Lord Krishna in jail (today is Krishna Janmashtami), which forebode the downfall of the Congress-led coalition both at the Centre and in Karnataka. The BJP would take the issue of nationalism to the logical end and its party workers were ready to sacrifice their lives to uphold the dignity of the national flag.

Dangers

The country was faced with three dangers and they were the control over the Government by the Congress President, Sonia Gandhi, the communists, and the Rashtriya Janata Dal leader and Railway Minister, Lalu Prasad dictating terms to the Government at the Centre.

The State BJP President, H.N. Ananth Kumar, who addressed the rally and later left for Hubli, said that the BJP would go ahead with its "Tiranga Yatra" from Hubli to Jallianwala Bagh from September 9.

Participating in the victory celebrations were the former Union Ministers I.D. Swamy, Rajiv Pratap Rudy, C.P. Thakur, and Syed Shahnawaz Hussain and the television serial personalities Smriti Irani and Gajendra Chauhan.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Karnataka

News Update

Stories in this Section

Government not to ban `Tiranga Yatra'

Fee structure for engineering courses set aside

We will take on pseudo-secularists: Kalyan

All-party team to meet Chief Justice

Govt. sets up panels for SSI sector

Scheme for senior citizens available at post offices

Lawyers protest treatment

Two lakh BSNL cell connections in State

Sagaranahalli Revanna laid to rest

Briefly