JOIN US Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council K S Eshwarappa criticised Chief Minister Siddaramaiah for not permitting Vishwa Hindu Parishad international working president Praveen Togadia to address a Hindu Samavesha scheduled for Sunday in Bengaluru.
He told reporters on Saturday that the VHP had sought permission for the meet about a month ago and the police too had agreed on February 3 to allow Togadia to address it. “However, on the same day, the police cancelled the permission,” he said.
Stating that Togadia had been making speeches throughout the country and no court had punished him so far, Eshwarappa sought to know why the government banned the VHP leader. Terming the government as “anti-Hindu”, he said the decision had hurt the Hindu sentiments.
To a query on the government also banning Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen MLA Akbaruddin Owaisi from addressing a rally in Bengaluru, Eshwarappa termed it “a drama to cover up the Togadia issue”, but later, he said Owaisi too should have been allowed to speak at the proposed rally, as the Constitution guaranteed the freedom of speech.
Meanwhile, sources in the BJP said the organisers of the Samavesha would likely air Togadia’s recorded speech at the Sunday meet.