Nidumamidi seer sees Dharma Samsad a ploy to help BJP

Seer Veerabhadra Chennamalla Swami of Nidumamidi Mutt alleged that the Dharma Samsad of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, held recently in Udupi, was misused to mobilise opinion of the people in favour of the BJP.

Speaking to reporters, here, on Friday, he said, the samsad was a ploy to help the BJP in the upcoming Assembly polls. "The agenda of the samsad was itself prejudiced. Its main objectives were: ban on cow slaughter, construction of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, and extension of the benefits given to minority communities to even majority communities. The resolution for the eradication of untouchability is just an eyewash," he said.

Hindutva politics

The seer alleged that Hindutva is only a ploy to gain political power.

"The downtrodden people are only a vote bank for them. Their concern is that if the downtrodden people get converted to other religions, they will not have followers. They don't care to provide them a dignified life. Has the samsad tried to eradicate untouchability even in a single village? From the beginning, the patrons of Hindu politics in Karnataka are the Madhvas. Only Sugunendra Thirtha Swami of Puttige Mutt and Vishweshwara Swami of Pejawar Mutt in Udupi are the spokespersons for the samsad. Sringeri Mutt seer and seers of Visistiadwaitha mutts do not get involved in this. Have they been able to do away with the inequality in the mutts in Udupi at least?" he questioned.

Root for terrorism

"Prior to the demolition of the Babri Masjid, terrorism was limited to Jammu and Kashmir. Once the communalists started to assert, terrorists became aggressive. So, terrorism is spreading across the nation. The victims are the neutral Indians. Hinduism, which has inequality as its foundation, cannot unite the people. When the same Hindutva is used for politics, it leads to disaster," he said.

"In view of diverting the traditional vote base from the Congress and other parties, the communal parties are using the Hindutva card. Attempts are made to divide the people on communal lines. People of the minority communities are projected as enemies. The blame of all the evils is put on the minorities. By, doing this, Hinduism will not prosper. There is no cure for the evils in Hinduism. There is no solution for inequality. Religion for politics is unfortunate," the seer said.