The Hindu : Karnataka News : Poojary hits out at Sangh Parivar

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Nov 23, 2004

Karnataka

Karnataka

Poojary hits out at Sangh Parivar

By Our Staff Reporter

BANGALORE, NOV. 22. The Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee President B. Janardhan Poojary, criticised the Sangh Parivar and the BJP leaders A.B. Vajpayee and L.K. Advani for protesting against the arrest of the Kanchi Sankaracharya, Sri Jayendra Saraswathi.

Addressing a press conference here today, Mr. Poojary said that it was strange that the BJP leaders were criticising the arrest even after the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, Jayalalithaa, had declared that the police had clinching evidence and the Madras High Court had held that there were prima facie charges against the acharya.

Taking a dig at the BJP leaders for raising a bogey that the arrest was an insult to Hindus, Mr. Poojary asked about the murder of Shankararaman who too was a Hindu.

Radhakrishnan, on whose life an attempt had been made, was also a Hindu, he said.

`Not anti-Hindu'

Clarifying that the Congress was neither anti-Hindu nor against the swamiji, Mr. Poojary said that the BJP bandh was uncalled for and it amounted to contempt of court.

To a question why the police were silent on the non-bailable warrants issued to many influential persons such as Imam Abdullah Bukhari of Delhi and for not arresting them, the KPCC chief said that the party would not object if the BJP approached the court for such an action against anybody on whom non-bailable warrants had been served.

Asked whether he believed the Tamil Nadu police were on the right course considering the way they treated the DMK President, M. Karunanidhi, and the journalists of The Hindu, Mr. Poojary said that he would support only good actions. "We should appreciate when they have done a good job," he said.

He said that Ms. Jayalalithaa was aware of the political consequences, if the charges against the swamiji were not proved.

On whether there was any change in the policy of his party towards Ms. Jayalalithaa, Mr. Poojary said, "no."

They would confine themselves to the issue and there was nothing wrong in commenting, if the action she had taken was right, he said.

He also said that the kind of response to the bandh was enough for the Sangh Parivar not to take up such issues.

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