HYDERABAD: Taking strong exception to the externment of noted pontiff Swami Parpoornananda by the Hyderabad police from the city for six months, former Union minister and BJP leader Subramanian Swamy advised chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao to annul the banishment order immediately. “Or else, I will be compelled to take an action in the court and seek damages for the same,” the Rajya Sabha member warned the chief minister.
In a letter written to the CM on Thursday, the BJP leader questioned how the Telangana government could frame the seer in the section which was usually meant for goons. It was unfortunate that a pious person was being treated as a goon by the state government, the senior politico mentioned in the letter.
“Swami Paripoornananda was externed from Hyderabad on July 10 under the Section 3 of Anti-social and Hazardous Activities Act, 1980. I wonder whether the externing authority, who passed the order, had even read Section 3 of the Act. On perusal of this section, it came to my notice that it reads as externment of goondas,” Subramanian Swamy told the chief minister.
According to the BJP leader, a person, in order to be externed under this section, needs to be classified as a “goonda.” Externing Swamiji under this section gives an impression of him being a “goonda,” which is highly insulting, disrespectful and defamatory for a Sanyasi, who has such a good reputation and respect in the state.
The former Union minister further said due to this externment order, Swamiji’s fundamental rights, right to freedom of speech and expression, right to freedom of movement and right to assemble peacefully as guaranteed by Article 19(1)(b) respectively of the Constitution had been violated.
“The order appears to be arbitrary and it seems that the authorities are flouting the highest law of the land. Therefore, it’s my humble advice to you that you get the orders (externment) cancelled,” Subramanian Swamy said in the letter.
It may be mentioned here that Swami Paripoornananda was banished from Hyderabad for six months when he had planned to take out a rally condemning film critic Kathi Mahesh’s comments on Lord Rama. Prior to Swamiji’s banishment, Mahesh too was externed from the city for six months.