Bengaluru: Karnataka Minister for RDPR, IT and BT Priyank Kharge has reiterated that permission is required for conducting namaz or any event at public places, irrespective of the organiser.
Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru on Monday, Priyank Kharge said, “In our order, no organisation, religion, or caste has been mentioned. Even I, the media, and everyone else must obtain permission. That’s it. The rule is the same whether it is former minister K.N. Rajanna or BJP State President B.Y. Vijayendra making a remark.”
His statement comes after former minister Rajanna questioned the government’s order mandating all organisations to obtain permission from authorities and asked whether permission is questioned when namaz is offered in public grounds. Rajanna had suggested that impractical laws remain only on paper.
Priyank Kharge clarified, “In our order making it mandatory for private organisations to obtain permission for holding events in public places, no name of any organisation has been mentioned. Then why this confusion? For the first time in the country, we are facing a peculiar situation where leaders openly declare they will not follow the law and organise ‘Pathsanchalan’ (foot march).”
He added that the RSS has refused to provide documents proving it is a registered body. “When asked who should be held accountable, they don’t answer. They insist on holding events despite refusal. One of their members even issued threats. Not a single leader condemned it,” he said.
Priyank Kharge criticised BJP leaders for not condemning controversial incidents. “When a shoe was hurled at the Chief Justice of India (CJI), no BJP leader condemned it. When one of their leaders claimed that ‘Desh Bhakts might enter our homes,’ not a single BJP leader objected. I pity the BJP. First, they give tickets to persons facing 20 to 30 cases, and then such people make threatening remarks. We will not do this. Our ideologies may differ, but no one has the right to threaten someone’s family,” he said.
Regarding a fresh application by the RSS to conduct a foot march in Chittapur town, which falls under his Assembly constituency, Priyank Kharge said, “Let them hold the foot march in Chittapur, they are welcome. This is not the first time they are organising such an event. The court has stated they must submit an application, and a decision will be taken based on the situation. Is it wrong to ask for details of their programmes?”
“This rule applies to everyone. I am not targeting anyone. When they sought permission for a foot march on October 19, three other applications were also rejected. They had also asked to carry sticks — what should the government do in such cases?” he added.
Priyank Kharge also highlighted differences between central and state rules regarding RSS participation. “The Central government has passed a law allowing government employees to participate in RSS activities. But as a state government, we do not agree. The service rules of the Centre and the states are different,” he said.
Responding to Union Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy’s claim that RSS activities have been carried out for hundreds of years without any untoward incident, Priyank Kharge countered, “Kumaraswamy himself had written an editorial in a leading Kannada daily calling the RSS poison. Former Prime Minister Deve Gowda had demanded a ban on the RSS and ABVP. What has changed now? JD(S) does not stand for secularism.”
Priyank Kharge further said, “Let BJP leaders first send their children to protect cows and enroll them in RSS branches before making tall claims. They have spoken about my wife, my brother, and even my father, yet they are not ready to answer one simple question — why are they not providing documents of registration? Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself has praised the RSS as the biggest NGO in the world. We are simply asking questions about the organisation.”
He concluded, “Even in my letter seeking a ban on RSS activities in public places, I mentioned other organisations along with RSS. The order covers all organisations equally.”
With IANS inputs