Minority fundamentalism as dangerous as Hindutva: CPI(M) leader

Mangalore, October 30: Minority fundamentalism is as dangerous as the communalism spread by Hindutva forces and hence, both need to be condemned, said GV Shriram Reddy, Former MLA and State Secretary, CPI(M).

He was speaking after inaugurating a workshop on communalism at Town Hall in Mangalore on Tuesday.

Mr. Reddy said that although it is true that minority fundamentalism has evolved as a response to the communalism and violence spread by the Hindutva forces, both forms of communalism are “dangerous” and must be condemned.

Coming hard at the police department in failing to check the growing communalism menace, Mr. Reddy said that senior police officers even stooped to the level of seeking apology from RSS leaders for taking into custody a Hindutva activist for creating trouble during Bakrid in the state. “The police machinery is being misused by the saffron forces. In spite of one year passing by, no action has been taken against Kalladka Prabhakar Bhat for his hate speech. The SP says that if he is arrested, law and order situation in the region will worsen. Why do we need such a police force if it cannot arrest wrongdoers, which is its duty?” he questioned.

The senior CPI(M) leader said that while BJP is looking to play the communal card to gain the upper hand in the upcoming Assembly elections, Congress and JD(S) have also not made any concrete effort to take on communalism. “The BJP knows that people are fed up of its maladministration. No Chief Minister in the history of Karnataka was put behind bars. But this BJP government tenure saw cabinet ministers and the Chief Minister himself being jailed for corruption and scams. To regain power in the state, they will resort to communal tactics and hence we are witnessing incidents of communal violence across the state. After the Mangalore homestay attack, communal violence has taken place in 17 different places in the state including Belgaum, Koppala, Sindagi, Hubli and Gangavathi. But Congress and JD(S) also have not made any effort to take on communalism. They want to please Hindus as well as maintain their minority vote banks”, he said.

Mr. Reddy also said that the BJP government is encouraging the practice of 'Made Snana' in temples and caste discrimination in Udupi temple. Pejawar Shree Vishwesha Teertha Swamiji is a key orchestrator of communalism in the coastal region, he said.

B Madhava, Sunil Kumar Bajal, and other CPI(M) leaders were present.