MYSURU: In the backdrop of increasing incidents of inflammatory speeches by right-wing outfits, BJP MLC AH Vishwanath urged people to work hard and earn their bread instead of fighting over caste and religion.
Speaking during a discussion on ‘Present Relevance of Kannada Writer Poornachandra Tejaswi’s Thoughts’, organised by NGO Odanadi Seva Samsthe on Friday, Vishwanath said there has to be cooperation and harmony among people belonging to different castes and religions for a peaceful living.
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi belongs to Ganiga caste, which is a microscopic community in Gujarat dominated by Patels. He became chief minister for three terms and later Prime Minister for the second term. He has never spoken on Hindutva, but introduced various welfare programmes for Dalits and backward communities. But the state government, instead of implementing the Centre’s programmes, is wasting time on discussing whether Muslims should run shops near temples, which is disgusting,” he said.
Stating that for centuries, Muslims had shops near temples and there had never been a problem, Vishwanath questioned who will buy scrap items from houses or purchase mangoes from farmers if Muslims are banned from all activities.