Never blamed all Brahmins: HDK clarifies after controversial statement on Pralhad Joshi
Bengaluru, Feb 7: Days after his controversial statement that Union Minister Pralhad Joshi belonged to a sect of Brahmins which desecrated the Sringeri Shankaracharya Peeth and assassinated Mahatma Gandhi, former Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy on Tuesday said his statement was misconstrued as he had not blamed all Brahmins.
The second-in-command of Janata Dal (Secular) also said he always had the portraits of some iconic religious leaders who belonged to the Brahmin community.
"I never did caste-based politics. I never asked people their caste whenever they approached me for help. I am not the one who insults people for their caste. The Brahmin community is leading life in a cultured manner," Kumaraswamy clarified days after the statement sparked a controversy drawing criticism.
Explaining further, the JD(S) leader said he had only referred to those who had attacked the Chandramauleshwara temple in Sringeri, a section which assassinated Mahatma Gandhi and Maratha ruler Shivaji.
He said those who were behind these incidents were not from Karnataka but neighbouring state of Maharashtra.
Kumaraswamy also said his outburst was due to the poor way the border dispute pertaining to Belagavi was handled.
"The way you are taking Belagavi, all these things keeping in mind, I had given a statement. My statement was not to hurt any community," Kumaraswamy said.
Showing the portrait of Adiguru Shankaracharya, who had established the Sringeri Peeth, which adorns his office, the JD(S) leader said, "You can see whose photographs we have in our office. The same photographs you can find in my bedroom as well."
Two days ago, Kumaraswamy had claimed that RSS was "conspiring" to make Joshi, who is Union Minister for Coal and Mines, the chief minister of Karnataka along with eight deputies after the Assembly polls, and alleged the latter belonged to a category among Brahmins, who lacked culture and divides society.
Coming down heavily on Joshi for criticising JD(S)' dynasty politics and its 'Pancharatna Ratha Yatra', the former Chief Minister had said he (Joshi) belongs to a Brahmin sect to which Maratha Peshwas belonged that had allegedly destroyed Sringeri Math, established by Adi Shankaracharya and desecrated the idol there, and also that killed Gandhi.
To a question, Kumaraswamy exuded confidence that his party will get a clear majority in the upcoming Assembly elections.
Regarding Hassan Assembly constituency where his sister-in-law Bhavani Revanna is keen to contest election despite the first family's unwillingness to field her, Kumaraswamy said, "There is no confusion. An easy solution will come out regarding Hassan."
He blamed a 'section' which was creating confusion, who are always there on all the occasions.
"How much ever that section tries, it will never succeed. I know how to set right things. We have the backing of divine power, which led to the formation of our government twice though we were in minority."
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Bus helper held for stealing USD 1,600 from Iranian woman's purse in Delhi; money recovered
New Delhi (PTI): The Delhi Police has arrested a bus helper and recovered USD 1,600 that was allegedly stolen from the purse of an Iranian woman who had forgotten it on a private bus at ISBT Kashmere Gate, an official said on Sunday.
The incident came to light on December 15, when a complaint was lodged at the ISBT Kashmere Gate police post by Dr Ali Akbar Shah, a professor at Delhi University and a resident of Mukherjee Nagar, the police said.
He informed police that his guest, Fareshteh Sayanjali, an Iranian national, had arrived in India on December 13 and was staying at his residence, they said.
The woman had travelled to Uttarakhand's Rishikesh and was returning to Delhi on December 15 in a bus. While de-boarding at ISBT Kashmere Gate around 1.45 pm, she inadvertently left her purse on the bus seat, the police officer said.
After some time, she received a phone call from the bus operator informing her that the purse had been found in the vehicle. However, when the purse was handed back to her, she discovered that USD 1,600 in cash kept inside was missing," the officer added.
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Based on Dr Shah's statement, an FIR was registered at Kashmere Gate police station on December 16, and an investigation was taken up, police said.
During the investigation, the team questioned the driver and conductor of the bus in which the woman had travelled, police said.
During questioning, the conductor told police that Monish, the bus helper, found the purse lying abandoned on a seat and handed it over to him, police said.
Monish initially attempted to mislead the investigators, but later confessed to stealing the US dollars from the purse, police said
Following his disclosure, Monish was arrested on December 17 and recovered the entire stolen amount, police said.
The accused, Monish, 26, is a resident of Jahangirpuri in north Delhi.
He has studied up to Class 10 and has been working as a helper with the private bus service for the past year, they said.
