Yaduveer condemns govt. for defending T. Narsipur inspector; says BJP is not anti-Muslim

Mysuru MP Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar on Wednesday condemned the State government for defending the behaviour of T. Narsipur Police Inspector Dhananjaya during a peace meeting held ahead of the Ganesha festival.

Speaking to reporters in Mysuru, Mr. Yaduveer said people of the State should question Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar for justifying what he described as the inspector’s “unconstitutional” behaviour during the meeting. “The government will get a good name if the inspector is suspended,” Mr.

Yaduveer said, making it clear that the BJP’s agitation against the inspector was aimed at protecting the religion. BJP leaders, including Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly R. Ashok, former MP Pratap Simha and Mr.

Yaduveer, had recently led a protest in T. Narsipur against the inspector’s reported warning to groups taking out Ganesha idol processions against bursting crackers while passing a mosque. Responding to a question, Mr. Yaduveer sought to clarify that the BJP was not opposed to Muslims or any particular community.

“Our protest was against the police inspector’s statement,” he said. However, Mr. Yaduveer said, “Everybody knows from where stones are pelted. The stones are not pelted from our side.” He rejected the Congress’s allegation that the BJP was attempting to incite communal trouble in the State with an eye on coming to power.

“We are not opposing any community. We are opposing the unconstitutional behaviour of the police inspector,” he said. Mr. Yaduveer also sought to clarify that carrying a Ganesha idol that had not yet been set up or consecrated while wearing footwear did not amount to disrespecting the deity.

He said BJP leaders were holding the agitation by the roadside and were therefore wearing footwear while carrying the Ganesha idols. Asked about the criticism of his participation in the T. Narsipur protest, during which he was arrested, Mr.

Yaduveer said it was not the first time he had been taken into custody during a demonstration. He said he had similarly been arrested during the BJP’s agitation over the MUDA scam and during a protest over the suicide of a party worker in Kodagu.

Referring to the public fracas involving former MLA L. Nagendra and Mr. Pratap Simha, Mr. Yaduveer described it as an internal party matter that would be addressed within the party. Senior State BJP leaders had spoken to the two leaders in an attempt to resolve the dispute, he said.