BENGALURU: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said Srikant Poojari — who was arrested in a 32-year-old case related to violence after the demolition of the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya — uses religion as a shield to protect his criminal activities.
The CM said 16 cases, including that of illegal liquor sales, gambling, and matka are against Poojary, and the BJP that is protesting against his arrest should openly declare its support for all his alleged criminal actions, or publicly apologise and withdraw their protest. “If such individuals are not arrested and are allowed to roam freely, even Lord Rama cannot forgive this,” the CM said.
Siddaramaiah said Poojari, who flaunts himself as a devotee of Lord Rama and a karsevak in the public, is an anti-social person in the eyes of the law.
The CM said 36 people were arrested in connection with crimes, including marijuana sales, theft, extortion, fraud, and gambling within the jurisdiction of the Hubballi-Dharwad Commissionerate in 2023. “Srikant Poojari is the 32nd person on the list. Should he be released just because he is a karsevak, or should he be arrested for being a suspect? The BJP’s protest is not against our government, but against the country’s law and constitution,” the CM added.
Hitting out at the BJP, the CM said if those involved in criminal activities claim to be protectors of religion and indulge in murder and extortion, will BJP leaders support them too? “The arrest of Srikant Poojari during the inauguration of the Ram Mandir is merely a coincidence. While reviewing old cases, the police arrested him along with 36 others. There is neither revenge nor appeasement in this. The law has been enforced, and it has been done so in the interest of the public,” he added.
‘Stop playing politics in name of God and religion’
Siddaramaiah also slammed the BJP for defending the arrest of a person facing cases and asked them to stop politics in the name of God and religion. “I am still appealing to the BJP leaders in the state to stop playing petty politics in the name of God and religion and try to act as a responsible opposition,” he said. Siddaramaiah said his goal is to permanently relegate the BJP to the position of opposition in the state. He was responding to BJP’s statewide protest against the arrest of Hindu activist Poojary involved in violence in Hubballi after the demolition of the Babri Masjid.
The BJP leaders need to understand that assigning caste and religious labels to criminals is extremely dangerous, the CM said and added that when the BJP government was in power in the state, the Lokayukta police had arrested then Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa and sent him to jail. So, was the government at that time anti-Hindu? the CM questioned.
“Since Hindus are the majority in the population, they are also the majority in prisons. Does that mean BJP should fight for all of them because they belong to the Hindu religion? Even if a person commits heinous crimes, if he wraps a saffron shawl around his head and shouts that he is a Hindu, BJP leaders rush to his defense,” the CM added.