Book Authority chairperson defends his comments on the Gita

Chairperson of Kannada Book Authority, Banjagere Jayaprakash said that his comments about Bhagavad Gita, were within the limits of “decency”. “I have reviewed the Gita by giving it all the respect demanded by a holy book,” he said, here on Thursday.

He was speaking after arriving in the city to file an anticipatory bail plea, following a case filed against him at Jayalakshmipuram police station. He was one of the four persons against whom a case has been booked for alleged derogatory comments against the Bhagavad Gita. Writers K S Bhagavan, Arvind Malagatti and UoM professor Maheshchandra Guru are the other three booked in the case. 

Jayaprakash said that the constitution of the country did not allow any government to declare the holy book of a religion, as the national book. While one group has the right to bat for Bhagavad Gita as the national book, another has the right to protest the demand, he said. “However, fundamentalists do not tolerate different points of view. These days, fundamentalists are using law to crush the differences,” he said. He said that he was ready for a public debate with members of Sangh Parivar, regarding the issue.

He said that his comments on Bhagavad Gita, was made in a programme organised by Bahujan Vidyarthi Sangha, at Mandya. “The incident did not occur in the limits of Jayalakshmipuram police station. However, police personnel did not employ common sense before filing a complaint,” he complained.

He said that as there were Jains, Buddhists, Sikhs and persons following other religions living in the country, the decision to declare Bhagavad Gita as the national book should be condemned, he said.