Amidst the ongoing row over not allowing Muslim traders to put up stalls at temple festivals in Karnataka, Executive Chairperson of Biocon Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw spoke up against the "growing religious divide", saying that communal exclusion "would destroy our global leadership."
“Karnataka has always forged inclusive economic development and we must not allow such communal exclusion — if IT/BT became communal it would destroy our global leadership,” Shaw said in a tweet.
Her reaction comes after many temples in Karnataka, especially in the coastal region, banned Muslims from doing business on the temple property. Their decision was based on a petition by right-wing organisations, who contended that the cowslaughter was going on unabated in the state.
Also Read — Injustice led to ban on Muslim vendors around temples: Vishwesha Teertha of Pejawar Math
She urged Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai to resolve the “growing religious divide” in the state. "Our CM is a very progressive leader. I am sure he will resolve this issue soon," he further said.
Shaw also faced criticism from the BJP for her remark. BJP's IT cell in-charge Amit Malviya slammed Shaw for imposing her "personal, politically-coloured opinion" and conflating it with India’s leadership in the ITBT sector.
"It is unfortunate to see people like Kiran Shaw impose their personal, politically coloured opinion, and conflate it with India’s leadership in the ITBT sector. Rahul Bajaj once said something similar for Gujarat, it is today a leading automobile manufacturing hub. Go figure…," Malviya tweeted.
Malviya further asked Shaw why she did not speak up when a belligerent minority sought to prioritise hijab over education or Congress framed rules excluding non-Hindus from Hindu institutions.
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