The Hindu : Karnataka News : Dharam Singh attends Benny Hinn's programme

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Jan 22, 2005

Karnataka

Karnataka

Dharam Singh attends Benny Hinn's programme

BANGALORE, JAN. 21. The Chief Minister, N. Dharam Singh, today attended the "Festival of Blessings" programme addressed by the American evangelist, Benny Hinn, here despite vehement protests by the BJP and other Sangh Parivar organisations over the past week against the prayer meeting.

After accepting the formal invitation extended to him to attend the event, he told presspersons that he was attending the programme as the Chief Minister of the State. "On earlier occasions also I have honoured invitations extended by several religious institutions," he said.

`Reactionary forces'

Terming the BJP and its allied organisations "reactionary forces," Mr. Dharam Singh attacked them for criticising his decision to attend the programme at the Jakkur airfield. "What did the Sangh Parivar do when the evangelist held a similar programme last year in Mumbai," he asked. The Shiv Sena leader, Bal Thackeray, had attended the programme in that city. The claim of the BJP that the State Government had permitted the three-day "Festival of Blessings" at the behest of the Congress high command is ridiculous, the Chief Minister said. "The BJP and its supporters always politicise religious issues and the Government granted permission for the prayer meeting because the Constitution has guaranteed the right to all faiths to worship and practise their religion," he remarked.

Nothing wrong

He saw nothing wrong in an evangelist from the U.S. coming here "when our spiritual leaders visit foreign countries and conduct prayer meetings there. Why should we not tolerate leaders of other faiths," he asked. At the prayer meeting, which was held in the evening, a 10,000-strong police force watched vigilantly as most of the crowd — estimates vary from two lakhs to four lakhs — either stood or sat on the ground. Only the VVIP section and a few others got chairs to sit on. Even late in the evening people were pouring into the venue. Mr. Dharam Singh was called on to the stage along with his Cabinet colleagues, including the Transport and Water Resources Minister, M. Mallikarjun Kharge, and the Law Minister, H.K. Patil. Mr. Singh's son and son-in-law also went along. The Union Ministers, M.V. Rajashekaran and Oscar Fernandes, were present, with the latter accompanied by his wife. Mr. Hinn hugged Mr. Singh and Mr. Kharge and shook hands with Mr. Patil, Mr. Rajashekaran and Mr. Fernandes.

On Thursday the Karnataka High Court refused to ban the programme as sought by a group of petitioners.

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