Pic: Clement Pais
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (CLP)

Mangaluru, Jan 23: "Congress party is committed to secularism, we do not believe in vote-bank politics. Building a secular society is our aim, hence the Bharatiya Hindu Parishad (BHP) organization which was recently formed in Puttur has to be scrapped," said All-India Congress Committee (AICC) member P V Mohan.

The BHP was launched recently by a faction of the Congress party led by Puttur block Congress president Hemanath Shetty. Since then, some of the senior party leaders have criticised the move and asserted that Congress has nothing to do with the BHP.

Addressing a press meet here on Friday January 23, P V Mohan said, "Congress party has a history of over hundred years in India. It played a vital role during the Independence struggle. Secularism is the motto of the party. The small group in Puttur by creating the Bharatiya Hindu Parishad has hurt the sentiments of the secular leaders of the party."

"Congress party strongly condemns the move. Congress is accused of being anti-Hindu always but it is not true. Most of the party leaders and party workers are Hindus; former minister B Janardhan Poojary is a Hindu, we can see how he is playing a vital role in the development of Kudroli Shree Gokarnananatha Temple."

"A small group within the party are being misled. There is misunderstanding, and also something is fishy regarding BHP's launch," he added.

"The backward class of the society earlier used to get reservation of 20 percent but now Congress party has decided to raise the slab to 50 percent. No party in India has given so much priority to the wmpowerment of SC, STs and OBCs," he said.

"Membership campaign is in full swing and the Hindu backward class will be the priority so that they can also grow in the party. Congress party is not anti-Hindu. Bharatiya Hindu Parishad should be scrapped as it is against the principles of the Congress party," he reiterated.