Mangaluru: The Vishwa Hindu Parishat held a press meet at Laxmi Nagar Apartments, PVS circle here on September 30.
Addressing the mediapersons, state working president of VHP, Prof M B Puranik said that Dharmasthala is a holy and religious destination. “Some anti-social elements are trying to defame the Dharmadhikari as well as the Dharmasthala temple. Dr Veerendra Heggade is serving the society through co-operative societies, self-help groups, holding mass marriages and providing education for the poor and the downtrodden, and doing what the government is supposed to do. But some anti-social elements are trying to defame Dr Veerendra Heggade and forcing the government to bring Dharmasthala Temple under the Muzrai department. The VHP condemns this. The temple is run by a single Jain family for the Hindu community to pray. At any cost, Dharmasthala should not be brought under the Muzrai department,” he said.
Prof Puranik also said that K S Bhagwan is trying to breach peace in the society by his derogatory statements. “He is passing cheap comments on Lord Sri Ram, Sri Krishna and the Bhagavad Gita, which has hurt the sentiments of the Hindu community. We have filed two complaints in the police station and an FIR has been filed against him, but the police have not taken any action against Bhagwan. So far, 30 cases have been filed against Bhagwan but the state government led by CM Siddaramaiah is protecting Bhagwan. Even when Bhagwan is targeting a particular community, the chief minister is protecting him. Even the Karnataka Sahitya Academy announced the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2013 to K S Bhagwan. When we asked with the police, they said that all the cases will be investigated in Bengaluru. The VHP demands the arrest of K S Bhagwan since we have filed a complaint in Uppinangady and it is the duty of the SP to arrest him. Before the situation gets worse, the police should take action and arrest K S Bhagwan.”
He further said that the allegations on the pontiff of Ramachandrapur Math Raghaveshwara Bharati have not been proved. “The case is under investigation and we will not react on this. We condemn various allegations on Raghaveshwara Bharati. Till the investigations are not completed and revealed, he is not guilty. We, VHP and BD activists, being Hindus have respect towards him.” He urged the media and the people not to tarnish Raghaveshwara Bharati’s image until he is proven guilty.
Regarding the Yettinahole project, Prof Puranik said that before taking up the Yettinahole project, the government did not take the opinion from experts nor from the people of DK. “The concerned authorities should take the people to confidence and brief them about the pros and cons of the project. If the project does not cause harm to the people of DK, there is no objection in continuing the work,” he said.
Sharan Pumpwell, Jagadish Shenava, Gopal Kuthar and Bhujang Kulal were also present.