Bangalore: Governor promises Archbishop to take up BJP MLA’s remarks with CM
From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network – Bangalore
Bangalore, Aug 20: Karnataka Governor H R Bhardwaj has promised the Archbishop of Bangalore to take up the issue of Belgaum district’s Khanapur BJP MLA Prahlad Remani making inflammatory and provocative remarks against Christians during his address at the Independence Day rally held in front of the taluk office with the Government.
Bangalore Archbishop Most Rev Dr Bernard Moras, who met the Governor at Raj Bhavan on Friday afternoon, has submitted a memorandum to Bhardwaj with a request seeking his intervention to direct the Government to ensure that all persons holding public office, including elected representatives at all levels, to desist from making inflammatory, provocative and derogative remarks against any religion as such conduct was likely to disrupt communal harmony and create law and order problems.
The Archbishop was accompanied by Fr A S Anthony Swamy, Chancellor and PRO of Bangalore Archdiocese, and Fr Prem Arokianathan, Secretary to the Archbishop.
The Governor, according to the Archbishop, gave a patient hearing and promised to get official reports from the Deputy Commissioner and Superintendent of Police of Belgaum and take up the issue with the Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa and Home Minister Dr V S Acharya.
"My role is very limited in this type of incidents. However, I will do everything
possible to ensure that this type of statements are not made by anybody at any time,” the Governor said and reportedly advised the Archbishop to personally take up the issue directly with the Chief Minister.
The Archbishop pointed out that the Christian community and Catholics all over the State, especially those of Khanapur taluk and Belgaum district, were deeply pained by the ``false allegations” about the Christian community resorting to converting people by unlawful means at a solemn occasion like the Independence Day rally when people of the area irrespective of caste, creed and colour had gathered for paying their respect to the National Flag during the Independence day celebrations.
The Khanapur BJP MLA, who addressed the Independence Day gathering after hoisting the National Flag, had said: “There are two things the British left in India after they left, the first one is the partition of the nation and the second one is the seeds of Christianity that are being spread systematically by the Christians through there institutions. People must remain aware and watchful about the spread of these seeds of Christianity and followers of any religion including Hindus and others must weed out Christianity.”
Prahlad Remani had also asserted that he ``would not stay quiet unless these seeds of Christianity were weeded out,” and declared: ``If these seeds spread, then our nation will be under danger.”
He had later reaffirmed his commitment to ``weed out Christians will continue by the way of a campaign against Christians. Christians under the guise of social service are luring villagers in Khanapur taluk and are engaged in conversions.”
The Archbishop said it was unfortunate that a few people were determined to disturb peace and communal harmony by targeting Christians and other minorities.
It may be recalled that both the Governor as well as the Chief Minister had personally met the Archbishop at his residence on his 69th birthday on August 10. The Home Minister had also called on the Archbishop to wish him on his birthday.
Archbishop Moras has also forwarded copies of his appeal to the Chairman of National Commission for Minorities Mohamed Shafi Qureshi, whose vice chairman is Dr H T Sangliana, former BJP MP from Bangalore South, and to the Chairman of National Commission of Human Rights Justice K G Balakrishnan, who is also the former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.