Kumara Chandrashekaranatha Swami (Left)
Credit: DH Photo/B K Janardhan
Bengaluru: Vishwa Vokkaliga Mahasamastana Mutt pontiff Kumara Chandrashekaranatha Swami on Wednesday expressed regret over his statement that Muslims should be disenfranchised, describing it as "slip of tongue".
The seer faced flak for his divisive statement at a protest Tuesday against farmers' lands being marked as Waqf assets.
"Muslims are also citizens of this country. They, too, have voting rights like others. I express my wholehearted regret if Muslim brothers are upset by my slip-of-tongue statement. I request not to further this issue and to end it here," the seer said in a statement.
Noting that Vokkaligas are tolerant and that he has treated all religions equally, the seer said even Muslims visit his Mutt. "So there is no intolerance towards this (Muslim) community," he said.
Stating that he has no objections to the Waqf Board protecting their lands by providing accurate information to the government, the seer said: "Farmers who have been cultivating for generations cannot be evicted in the name of Waqf property."
Reacting to the seer's comment on disenfranchising Muslims, Home Minister G Parameshwara said Wednesday that no one should speak against the Constitution. "Probably, he (seer) has not properly seen the principles of the Constitution and the rights and opportunities provided in it for every community and religion. It is clear in the Constitution," he said.