Wrong of Chandrashekaranath Swami to make such statements, says DCM DK Shivakumar
Bengaluru: Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar has told the media that it was wrong of Vokkaliga pontiff Chandrashekaranath Swami to say that Muslims’ right to vote should be revoked in India.
While the pontiff has apologized for his statement that whipped up a controversy, a First Information Report (FIR) has been filed against him for making the statement, fuelling the controversy as political leaders have entered the fray in support of the senior seer.
Addressing reporters at the Vidhana Soudha recently, Shivakumar expressed happiness at the pontiff admitting his mistake in making such a statement and apologizing for hurting sentiments of the members of a religious community. “Swamiji has apologized for his statement and I am happy about this. We should not get involved in issues of caste and religion. Voting is the Constitutional right of every citizen in India, without any bias on any basis," he said.
Hitting back at Leader of the Opposition in the Karnataka Assembly and senior BJP leader R Ashoka for his recent criticism of the Congress government for taking strict measures against the pontiff, Shivakumar said that the BJP leader was using the incident for his vested interest by fuelling tension between communities.
He pointed out that the government led by Janata Dal (Secular) too had taken legal action against Balagangadharanatha Swami, the late head of the Adichunchanagiri Mutt of the Vokkaligas, for violation of law during its tenure. “Former minister Channigappa had filed a case against Balagangadharanatha Swami, who was forced to appear in court for a couple of years before he was granted bail, although he was innocent. These facts are available in the records and irrefutable. Why did Ashoka not criticize the move taken by the JD(S) government then?” asked the Deputy CM, reminding the media, “Everyone is equal before the law.”
When asked to comment about the LoP’s warning that the Vokkaliga community will certainly avenge the insult to the pontiff, Shivakumar said that it was the BJP, especially Ashoka himself, who was fuelling the controversy by such declarations.
“He (Ashoka) has also said that I am using the community for my benefit, which is also not true. I have never done so with either Vokkaligas or other community people. It is true that I am a Vokkaliga by birth, but I respect all religions and communities equally. It is improper to comment on the rights of particular religions or communities when we belong to a republic and are bound by the rules in the Constitution,” the DCM opined.
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Patna-bound IndiGo flight makes emergency landing at Lucknow due to bad weather
Lucknow (PTI): Adverse weather forced an IndiGo Kolkata-Patna flight to make an emergency landing at Lucknow airport on Friday, airport sources said.
According to airport officials, weather conditions in Patna deteriorated suddenly on Friday afternoon, affecting flight operations.
IndiGo flight 6E 6917 from Kolkata, which was scheduled to land in Patna at 3.50 pm, could not land due to bad weather and kept circling in the air after failing to get clearance from air traffic control, they said.
The flight was later diverted to Lucknow and landed safely at the Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport at around 5.15 pm. There were 180 passengers and six crew members on board, officials said.
The aircraft was later allowed to depart for Patna after weather conditions improved.
