K'taka: Govt Creating Controversies Over Ganesh Festival Celebrations, Says BJP

(MENAFN- IANS) Bengaluru, Sep 13 (IANS) The Karnataka unit of BJP has criticised the Congress-led government in Karnataka, saying it is creating a series of controversies regarding celebration of Ganesh festival.

Speaking to the media on Saturday at the BJP State Office, Jagannath Bhavan in Bengaluru, the Legislative Council Opposition Leader Chalavadi Narayanaswamy said that the government is more afraid of minorities than supporting them, because it does not have the power to control them.

Therefore, the state government is creating controversies by not allowing the Ganesh festivities to take place.

The Congress government stands in the favor of minorities. On one hand, it claims to support minorities, and on the other, it acts out caste-based politics in fear of them, Chalavadi Narayanaswamy criticised.

He added that, as per tradition, Ganeshotsava (Ganesh festival) has been celebrated peacefully without any disturbances in the past. "The Chief Minister is taking back criminal cases of minorities for political mileage and attempting to present them as peace ambassadors. This is disrupting peace across the state," he alleged.

Narayanaswamy further said that the Constitution does not exist to favour or insult any particular group. "The government should work to take everyone forward in a good way. However, this government is anti-Hindutva," the BJP leader said.

He also alleged that the government has created unwritten laws instructing the police department not to allow Ganesh festival celebrations in all taluks and districts, and instead spreading circulars that discourage it. He questioned,“Who are you to deny permission? What authority do you have?”

He asked whether it is right for the government to suppress the people.

Narayanaswamy further criticised that the extent of minority favouritism has reached such a level that Shivajinagar locality in Bengaluru, is a very old and well-known name in the whole country. Now, the Metro Station in Shivajinagar is being renamed as St. Mary's Metro Station. On this issue, the government claimed that Shivaji was not from Karnataka.

He questioned:“Who is St. Mary? Does she hail from Shivajinagar, or Karnataka?”

He insisted that the government should do things that please the people rather than misleading them. The government is going the wrong way, and they must follow the path of the Constitution.

He also expressed grief over 9 deaths in Ganesh Visarjan procession tragedy in Hassan district. He informed that BJP leaders R. Ashoka, C.T. Ravi, and others have already visited the site, but due to unavoidable reasons, he couldn't go.

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