Mass grave case: BJP delegation visits Dharmasthala, demands CM's apology

Mangaluru (Karnataka), Aug 17 (IANS) State BJP leaders, including MLAs, MPs, and MLCs, visited the temple at the Dharmasthala pilgrimage centre on Sunday morning and took the 'darshan' of Lord Manjunatha Swamy as part of the Dharmasthala Chalo campaign to condemn the propaganda in connection with the alleged mass grave case.

They also met Dharmadhikari, BJP Rajya Sabha member D. Veerendra Heggade and discussed the developments surrounding the mass grave case.

The BJP demanded that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah apologise to crores of devotees for the government’s inaction in curbing propaganda. They also challenged Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar to expose the conspiracy against Dharmasthala, as he has claimed.

The delegation was led by BJP state President and MLA B.Y. Vijayendra. The party had launched the ‘Dharmasthala Chalo’ campaign on Saturday morning, condemning the continuous misinformation being spread about Dharmasthala in the backdrop of the mass grave case. A team of BJP leaders led by Yelahanka MLA S.R. Vishwanath arrived in Dharmasthala from Bengaluru in 300 cars on Saturday night.

Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council Chalavadi Narayanaswamy, BJP MPs, MLAs from the coastal region, MLCs, state and district office-bearers, and other prominent leaders also visited the temple and had darshan.

Speaking to the media in Dharmasthala, Vijayendra said, “I urge Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to apologise to the people of the state for failing to stop the false propaganda in this regard. The BJP is not doing politics over this issue. There is a conspiracy to hurt the religious sentiments of crores of devotees who have faith in Lord Manjunatha and Annappa Swamy of Dharmasthala.”

He further pointed out, “The media should take note of two things. First, Mangaluru District In-Charge Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao has said that the SIT was formed under pressure from the Leftist groups. Second, Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar has himself mentioned that there is a big conspiracy behind the mass grave case.”

“The reason why we are here is because, under the pretext of investigation, a defamatory campaign is being carried out. Who should have stopped this propaganda? It was the responsibility of the state government. By failing to curb the false propaganda, the state government has committed a crime,” he said.

“What is the Congress-led government’s response to the statements made by Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao that the SIT was formed under pressure from the Leftist groups, and Dy CM Shivakumar’s statement that there is a conspiracy against Dharmasthala?” Vijayendra asked.

“I once again clarify that the BJP is not doing politics over the Dharmasthala issue. But what about the conspiracy to hurt crores of devotees, and why is the state government not acting on it? Dy CM Shivakumar has said that the conspiracy will be exposed at the right time. When will that time come? How long should this false propaganda continue?” Vijayendra questioned.

“The people of the state are asking questions. The state government should respond. Those who are making allegations, along with the forces behind them, should also be investigated,” he urged.

“Dy CM Shivakumar holds a responsible position. He himself claims that this is a conspiracy and says that he is an ardent devotee of Lord Manjunatha of Dharmasthala. If he is a true devotee, then without delay, he should expose the conspiracy and reveal who is behind it,” he challenged.

“If the BJP had wanted to do politics on this issue, there was no need to wait until today. Crores of devotees are in pain. Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao himself has said that Leftist forces are involved. This must be investigated,” he reiterated while answering a question.

“I cannot say how the investigation should proceed. But the state government should present the interim report of the probe. This madness should not continue -- it should be brought to an end,” he emphasised.

The BJP leaders reiterated that the party had welcomed the SIT probe from the beginning. They demanded that the government table the interim report in the Assembly and conduct a thorough investigation into the false propaganda being spread about the holy shrine, he said.

“We have met Dharmadhikari Veerendra Heggade. He, too, conveyed that he welcomed the SIT probe. Though he did not speak about the social media propaganda, he is deeply hurt. Our main objective is to preserve the Hindu religion and heritage. We also want to ensure that the feelings of crores of devotees are not hurt,” Vijayendra said.

The BJP stated that it supports the SIT investigation, provided it is transparent. “It has always been our stand that suspicions should be cleared. But during the course of investigation, false propaganda is being spread and confusion is being created on social media,” Vijayendra added.

Chalavadi Narayanaswamy said, “We have met Veerendra Heggade, and he is hurt by these developments. The devotees of Dharmasthala share the same pain. The fact is that nothing has been found here, and the allegations have turned out to be false. Devotees believe that this is a conspiracy and that the state government has joined hands with Leftist forces. We cannot tolerate attempts to damage the reputation of Dharmasthala and hurt devotees. It is in this context that we have come here. We stand firmly with the Dharmasthala pilgrimage centre.”

--IANS

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