Karnataka Congress, CPM slam Centre for rejecting Kerala’s Republic Day tableau

Former Minister B Ramanath Rai said that by rejecting the tableau, the Central government has hurt the sentiments of many. “Narayana Guru fought for the welfare of the downtrodden and marginalised sections of the society. Besides from Kerala, his followers are spread out in Dakshina Kannada and other parts of Karnataka,” he said.

“Guru, who preached the doctrine of ‘one caste, one religion and one God’, has thousands of followers and devotees. By rejecting a tableau dedicated to him, the Centre has insulted the great visionary and his philosophy,” the former minister said, while adding that the decision was “painful” and “unforgivable”. Rai said that when the Congress was in power in Karnataka, the state had observed the Guru’s birth anniversary as a government programme.

Congress MLC Hariprasad also opposed the move and said, “This is the third time that the RSS-inspired Central Government is insulting the great saint. One should remember that he was recognised and respected by Mahatma Gandhi, Dr B R Ambedkar and Rabindranath Tagore. He ensured that people from the lower sections of the society do not move away from Hinduism.”

Meanwhile, the Communist Party of India (Marxist), Dakshina Kannada, issued a statement and said that the Centre has disregarded the principle of religious equality and is espousing the cause of a majority community.