Seers get brickbats from political peers

The practice of religious heads lending support to politicians of any caste needs to be deprecated, he said here on Wednesday.

Speaking at a programme to observe Kanaka Jayanthi in Bellary, Reddy said while Kanakadasa dedicated his life to dislodge caste hierarchy, it was regrettable that pontiffs were coming to the support of politicians. He said, “Power is not eternal. All will have to relinquish it one or the other day.”

‘Read Constitution’

At Kaginele in Byadgi taluk, it was the turn of Lok Sabha member H Vishwanath to chide the mutt heads. Speaking to presspersons, Vishwanath said seers should read the Constitution of India before speaking politics. He said heads of religious institutions should know of their standing in a democracy.

Former minister Kumar Bangarappa was more caustic, and suggested that the mutt heads supporting the “corrupt chief minister and ministers” should swap their saffron robes for khadi (preferred by politicians). Speaking at a pressmeet in Hosanagar on Tuesday night, he said the seers were repaying Yeddyurappa who gave them generous contributions out of the State coffers. 

At Hubli, Vishwesha Thirtha of Pejawar Mutt argued that “pontiffs too are citizens and hence have a right to speak politics”. “I have not spoken for or against any person. I only said the BJP high command should not go by media reports but initiate action against Yeddyurappa only after consulting legal experts on the charges against him,” he clarified. The government has done good work and at the same time erred too in some aspects, he added.