Pic: Spoorthi Ullal

Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)

Mangaluru, Oct 1: Addressing a press conference here on Friday October 1, former minister, B Ramanath Rai, said that the two coastal districts of Karnataka forming Tulunadu are special as they have unique cultural backgrounds and systems of faith. He noted that the religious council had been formed during the period the BJP was in power, and Daivaradhane (spirit worship) was also included within its purview. He noted as per the recent order of the council, the 'Bhandara' cannot be withdrawn once the same is deposited in the Daivasthana. Rai insisted that this is opposed to the established religious observations.

He said that the Bhandara of the Daivas should be handled in tune with the procedures followed by ancestors. As the current order is against the religious principles, he demanded to bring Devasthanams out of the jurisdiction of the religious council. He insisted that there is no politics involved in this demand and that this is only the issue of religious belief.

"I have worked hard for the development and renovation of many temples including Sooryanarayana temple and Polali temple. On the issue of the flagpole (Kodi Mara) of the temple, there was malicious campaigning against me. There are people who are habituated to spreading malice, be it death or the temple. We will do as per the instructions of the Daiva. But the new order is not backed by any established practice or religious faith," he said.

Rai said that this decision of the religious council members is unacceptable as it hurts religious beliefs. He accused them of trying to change the systems that have been followed since generations. He called upon people to condemn this issue politically to ensure that such things do not happen in the future.

"Daivasthana is not a tourist center, it is a center of prayer. The order now issued pertains to the Daivasthana at Bantwal, and soon other Daivasthanas will be covered under this order. The order affectively stops the movement of Bhandara of Daivas and daily puja to the Daivas will stop. The customary procedures will stop. People should become alert. This issue happened in Bantwal because of local political considerations. They are playing politics in the matter of preserving the Bhandara in the family house," Rai stated.

Ramanath Rai accused the BJP of spreading false propaganda about him during two elections, and of falsely charging him of having links with two murders. He said that the murder allegation was made to defeat him in the election. He said if he was involved with murder, he would have been in jail by now. He said that false campaign is being used as a tool to defeat him and it has been his fate.