BY Vijayendra Questions Police Curbs on Ganesh Festivities, Seeks Action Over Inspector’s Remarks
Bengaluru: Karnataka BJP president B.Y. Vijayendra has questioned restrictions on Ganesh festival celebrations, saying the party supports police action against unlawful activities but cannot accept curbs that extend to legitimate celebrations on public roads.
Vijayendra said nobody would oppose police efforts to prevent illegal activities during Ganesh festivities. However, he objected to statements seeking to prohibit the bursting of firecrackers even on public roads during Ganesh idol immersion processions.
“If entering a mosque and bursting crackers is illegal, nobody should allow it. But using that as a reason to say crackers cannot be burst even on public roads is excessive,” Vijayendra said.
He said the BJP would instruct its workers not to violate the law but questioned why restrictions should be imposed on the celebration of the festival itself.
Vijayendra described Ganeshotsava as more than a religious observance, saying it also promotes awareness, unity and social bonds among Hindus. He asked the Congress government to explain why permissions, restrictions and other conditions were being used in a manner that, according to him, obstructed the celebrations.
Referring to remarks attributed to a police inspector, Vijayendra said they could not simply be dismissed as the personal views of an individual officer. He said people could reasonably question whether the remarks reflected the approach of the administration and demanded clarification from the government and senior police officials.
He also referred to the controversy over Vande Mataram and accused the Congress government of adopting inconsistent positions. Vijayendra alleged that restrictions on Ganesh festivities were hurting Hindu sentiments and accused the government of minority appeasement while interfering with the religious practices of the Hindu majority.
The BJP state president warned the government against taking measures that could test the patience of people peacefully celebrating religious festivals. If unnecessary restrictions, threats or interference led to tensions and a deterioration in law and order, the Congress government and the Home Minister would have to bear responsibility, he said.
Vijayendra demanded that the Home Minister and senior police officials immediately examine the police officer’s remarks. If it was established that the officer had exceeded the limits of law and spoken in a threatening manner, appropriate action should be taken, he said.
Separately, Vijayendra said the BJP would soon decide its next round of agitations and state tour after discussions with senior party leaders following the completion of its ‘Ballari Chalo’ padayatra.
He said the party’s national leaders would arrive in Karnataka on September 15 and that programmes were being organised as part of the nationwide ‘Seva Sankalp Abhiyan’, aimed at taking Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 25 years in public life to the people.
Shifting focus to farmers, Vijayendra accused the state government of failing to respond seriously to their problems amid drought conditions.
He alleged that farmers in several parts of Karnataka were not receiving adequate three-phase power supply, leaving those dependent on borewells in distress. Farmers in Shikaripura and several other taluks were protesting over electricity supply problems, he said.
Vijayendra claimed that during severe drought conditions under the previous BJP government, electricity had been purchased from outside the state to protect farmers’ interests. He accused the present government of delaying decisions despite the difficulties faced by farmers.
He also questioned the outcome of the state government’s cloud-seeding programme, saying government ministers themselves had acknowledged that it had not produced the expected results.
Vijayendra demanded that the government place before the Legislative Assembly a complete account of the approximately ₹28 crore spent on the cloud-seeding programme, including details of where the money went and for what purpose.
He said the BJP would raise drought, electricity shortages affecting farmers, crop losses and the outcome of cloud seeding strongly in the Assembly, and warned that the party would continue to challenge what it viewed as government neglect of farmers’ interests.
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