The Hindu : National : Kumaraswamy regrets mistake

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Wednesday, Sep 20, 2006
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Kumaraswamy regrets mistake

Staff Reporter

"I'd rather quit than hurt your sentiments," he tells Muslims The Muslim clergy is upset since Mr. Kumaraswamy's speech referred to a few madrasas in Karnataka as the point favoured by the Lashkar militants to infiltrate the State

BANGALORE: Karnataka Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy on Tuesday apologised to the Muslim community for an offending paragraph in his speech at the Chief Ministers' meeting with the Prime Minster recently.

He said that he had not glanced through the speech prepared by the Home Department officials before the meeting on internal security, nor had he read out that speech at all, having chosen to speak extempore.

Mr. Kumaraswamy chose to attend a convention of Madrasas and Muslim Organisations Action Committee where he profusely apologised, and reiterated his abiding relationship with the minorities.

He said his mistake was that he had not gone through the prepared speech before the meeting. "You know very well that my father [the former Prime Minister, H.D. Deve Gowda] and I have the interests of the minorities at heart. I have chosen to come here today because making amends is very important to me. I'd rather quit than hurt the sentiments of your community," Mr. Kumaraswamy said.

Remarks on madrasas

The Muslim clergy and community leaders have been upset ever since Mr. Kumaraswamy's speech was reported in the media.

The paragraph in question refers to a few madrasas in Karnataka as the point favoured by the militant Lashkar-e-Taiba to infiltrate the State from Andhra Pradesh.

The community leaders have also said that the version of the speech delivered to them in Urdu did not contain that particular paragraph and they had to obtain a copy of the original speech after a great deal of trouble.

The Chief Minister's reference to madrasas was hurtful and disappointing, they said.

Mr. Kumaraswamy, who wedged in his attendance at the meeting between a day at Ramanagaram, his constituency, and plans to fly by helicopter to Ranebennur, said: "In New Delhi, I only made two points, and neither had anything to do with madrasas. I raised the issue of changes in forest laws to help deal effectively with the Naxal menace, and asked for two extra battalions for better security measures".

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