Daijiworld Media Network – Karkala (TP)

Karkala, Jan 20: MLA V Sunil Kumar strongly criticised the Congress, questioning whether avoiding saffron flags at a Hindu religious programme and displaying only Congress or green flags could be termed secularism.

Reacting to the Udupi District Congress Committee’s letter to chief minister Siddaramaiah and deputy chief minister D K Shivakumar seeking action against the deputy commissioner for participating in the Udupi Paryaya procession, Sunil Kumar said the move reflected the petty mindset of Congress leaders. He asked whether, instead of saffron flags, Congress flags were expected to be displayed during the historic Udupi Paryaya procession.

The MLA pointed out that Harish Shetty, president of the Human Rights and Legal Cell of the Udupi District Congress Committee, had written to the CM and DCM demanding legal action against the deputy commissioner. “Deputy commissioners have been participating in the Udupi Paryaya procession from the very beginning. Why did the Congress notice a ‘fault’ only this time?” he asked, alleging that finding faults with Hindu traditions to appease minorities had become a habit of the Congress.

Sunil Kumar noted that the deputy commissioner had already issued a clarification regarding participation in the procession from Jodukatte to Sri Krishna Math. “Above all, how does participating in the Udupi Paryaya violate the principle of secularism?” he questioned.

He further alleged that misinterpreting the Constitution and its spirit had become routine for the Congress. Drawing an analogy, he said that just as “the elder sister’s habit becomes the family’s practice”, Udupi district Congress leaders were repeating the same mistakes made by state-level leaders. He also challenged Congress leaders to show whether they had the courage to similarly find fault with Muslim religious programmes and demand action against officials.