State govt ‘colluded’ with Dal: Cong

NEW DELHI: Opposition parties stepped up attack on the BJP government in Karnataka on Monday for failing to prevent anti-Christian violence. While senior Congress leader Veerappa Moily, who visited Mangalore and other places where churches were vandalised, accused the state government of “colluding” with the Bajrang Dal, former prime minister and Janata Dal (Secular) chief HD Deve Gowda said he would sit on a dharna at Raj Ghat to protest the attacks.

Expressing fear that alienation of youth irrespective of community would create a fertile ground for recruitment by anti-national and mischievous elements, Congress spokesman Manish Tiwary said, “Riots lead to alienation and radicalisation of youth.”

He said most recruits for terror camps came from places ravaged by communal riots, referring to the “coincidence” of riots in Gujarat, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka and the increased terror activity in the states after that.

Moily said, “During the JD(S)-BJP regime in Karnataka not a single complaint was filed on the issue of conversion. In fact, the percentage of Christians in the country has come down from 2.7 in 1991 to 2.2 in 2001.”

The Congress alleged that instead of taking action against the Bajrang Dal, police in Karnataka entered churches and beat up Christians protesting desecration of their places of worship.

“Police with Bajrang Dal members surrounded a church and lathicharged silent protesters. They also burst tear gas shells.

“At the Permanneur church in Ullal, police entered the prayer hall and ransacked…broke the statues of Mother Mary and Infant Jesus,” the party said.
k_benedict@dnaindia.net
j_ansari@dnaindia.net