Pics: Spoorthi Ullal
Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore (PS)
Mangalore, Dec 3: "Sangh Parivar has created confusion in the minds of people by opposing the proposed Prevention of Communal and Targeted Violence Bill well in advance, even before it is introduced in the parliamentary houses, by spreading the message that the bill is against Hindus, that it is a tool to divide the society and by terming it ‘draconian’," rued former minister and veteran Congress leader B Janardhana Poojary.
Addressing a press conference at the district Congress office here on Saturday December 3, former minister said that as per census carried out in 2001, 80.5 % were Hindus, 13.4 % were Muslims, 2.3 % Christians, 1.9 % Sikhs, 0.8 % Buddhists, 0.4 % Jains, and 0.6 % were Parsis. "In all, 19.5 % were people of the minority community, and among 80.5 % Hindus, 18 % were SC and 5 % were ST. This bill would also benefit the people of backward communities," he said.
"As per the clauses in the bill 'minority' refers to not just religious minorities, but linguistic minorities too. Hence if people from Karnataka are assaulted in other states, they gets protection under this law," he said, adding, "In case a hotel or a factory run by people of Mangalore or Udupi in Mumbai is attacked by Marathi speaking people, then it would protect the linguistic minority people."
Coming down heavily on Sangh Parivar leaders, Poojary said that this bill has no worries for Hindus, but only for those who involve in riots and clashes. "In a situation where a poor man's or woman’s complaint is deliberately rejected by the police, this bill is a ray of hope for such deprived class of people," he added.
About Made Snana issue, Poojary challenged Pejavar swamiji and Dharmasthala Dharmadhikari Dr Veerendra Heggade to give statements against such ritual. Poojary asserted that such rituals wherein devotees roll over the leftover food of Brahmins might bring diseases if a person’s saliva contained any germs.