Kumaraswamy says govt silent, CM Bommai puppet in hands of right-wing groups

His reaction has come at a time when only a few from the ruling BJP and the Opposition parties have spoken publicly on the issue. The BJP government has claimed that a ban on non-Hindus on temple premises is allowed under the Karnataka Hindu Religious Institutions and Charitable Endowments Act, 1997.

“It is the responsibility of the home minister and the government to protect all the people of the state. Those who calling for boycott of communities are enemies of the country and need to be arrested,” Kumaraswamy said on Tuesday.

On Monday, two BJP legislators – A H Vishwanath (MLC) and Anil Benake (MLA) – opposed the calls for preventing Muslim vendors from doing business at temples.

Congress leader Siddaramaiah, who had been vocal against restricting Muslim girls from taking examinations with headscarves that matched their uniforms, has been silent on banning Muslim traders at temple festivals reportedly after he was pulled up by the Congress leadership for remarking last week that even “Hindu seers wear headscarves sometimes”. Sources said Siddaramaiah had been directed by the central leadership to avoid comments that can trigger controversies, especially when Assembly polls are due in a year’s time.

“The BJP says we are Hindus but in the Congress, we say we Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Vokkaligas, Dalits, Backward Classes are all one. This is the difference between them and us. The BJP is trying to break society on caste and religious lines,” state Congress president D K Shivakumar had said on Monday.

The BJP MLC, Vishwanath, who called the ban on Muslim traders at temple festivals “madness” on Sunday, was trolled by callers from different parts of the country, a close relative of the MLC said. “I received calls where people seemed to abuse, and even threaten us,” the relative said.