Centre as much to blame as TN: Joshi

Towards the end of his fasting and dharna at Parliament Street, Joshi said the arrest was made in the dead of the night after daylong discussions involving the Tamil Nadu police, the Andhra Pradesh police, the state government and the Centre. Joshi alleged that the arrest was part of a conspiracy on the part of the Tamil Nadu government to bring the Kanchi Math under the control of the state or a trust. ‘‘The Centre is as much responsible as the Tamil Nadu government,’’ he said.

Joshi said Tamil Nadu CM Jayalalithaa’s action smacks of vindictiveness carried out in the wake of the Shankaracharya’s comments in an interview after the Lok Sabha elections that one reason for the poll debacle could be the Chief Minister’s ‘‘arrogance’’.

Joshi was accompanied on the dharna by several BJP leaders, including Sushma Swaraj, Arun Jaitley and Najma Heptullah. ‘‘We have learnt that the Tamil Nadu Government has filed a petition to extend the police remand of the Shankaracharya till November 26. Our upwas dharna will continue for as long as the Shankacharya is in jail,’’ Swaraj said.

Advani is expected to call on the junior Shankaracharya, Vijayendra Saraswati, tomorrow. The BJP chief will address a protest meeting in Chennai in the evening.

The Kanchi Math spokesman said legal advisors have yet to decide on moving a Special Leave Petition in the Supreme Court, now that the High Court in Chennai has rejected the pontiff’s bail plea. The Math is also undecided on whether Vijayendra Saraswati should move court for permission to meet his senior.

Police, meanwhile, said while the seer is cooperating for the interrogation, he was mostly replying in the negative to questions. Dr C. Jayaraman of the Government Hospital ran checks on the seer today.

The Math will conduct special pujas and rituals tomorrow for Jayendra Saraswati’s release. This, even as it issued advertisements in local dailies, elaborating the welfare work carried out by the Math. Denying a propaganda move, the spokesman said the advertisements were merely to make people aware of the work done by the Kanchi institution.