Bengaluru, Aug 16 (IANS) Responding to the politics and controversies over the probe into the alleged Dharmasthala mass graves case, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar on Saturday stated that the BJP needs the issue to carry out politics. Why didn’t the BJP speak up when the complaint was filed in court and the SIT was constituted? Dy CM Shivakumar questioned the Opposition party.

He was responding to questions from the media on Saturday at his residence in Bengaluru.

“When the masked complainant filed a petition in court, the BJP did not utter a word. Now they are doing politics. They think Hindutva is their family property. The BJP has no genuine love for Dharmasthala; they only want Dharmasthala for political gains,” stated Dy CM Shivakumar, launching an attack.

When asked about the BJP delegation’s visit to Dharmasthala today, Dy CM Shivakumar replied: “The BJP did not say anything in the beginning. Now they are turning it into politics. They believe Hindutva belongs to them as their household asset. But it belongs to no one. It is about the people’s faith and devotion. For the BJP, it’s nothing but politics.”

He reiterated, “Why did the BJP remain silent on the day the masked complainant filed the case? Why didn’t they say his complaint was baseless? Why didn’t they object on the very first day when the SIT was formed? For us, politics has nothing to do with Dharmasthala.”

“Protecting Dharmasthala’s sanctity is our concern. Whoever is guilty should be punished — that is our stand. If the government had not investigated even after a petition was filed in court, wouldn’t the BJP have attacked us for that? They would have. Now they are doing politics in this manner, but we won’t lose our peace of mind over it,” Shivakumar stated.

Asked about the demand for conducting a narco test on the masked complainant, Shivakumar said: “Let them demand whatever they want in this regard — narco test or any other kind of investigation. That is not wrong. Those who had initially welcomed the SIT investigation are now speaking differently. It is for the investigators to decide how many pits to dig and when to stop. Why should we interfere in their work?”

Asked about BJP leaders welcoming his earlier remarks on conspiracy, he responded: “I only spoke from my personal experience. But I do not wish to interfere in a government investigation. BJP legislators might have spoken in the Assembly, but even before that, our MLAs raised their voices for Dharmasthala inside the Legislature.”

“Local Congress leaders had met us at the very beginning and discussed the issue. No one in the government said that this matter should not be discussed. Even our Chief Minister has assured that no injustice will be done to anyone. The investigation will proceed as per law. If anyone has spread false messages or misinformation, legal action will be taken against them. The very person who is supporting this campaign has gone to the extent of calling the Chief Minister a murderer. Did you report on that? We have all that information,” Shivakumar stated.

When asked if excavation would be stopped, Shivakumar replied: “I will not interfere in the investigation. The Home Minister is there to handle it, and he will take the decision. We gather information from our own sources. There are hundreds of people there; it’s not necessary that we depend only on police reports.”

When asked about the death of Sri Chandrashekar Swamiji of the Vishwa Vokkaliga Mahasamsthana, he said: “Chandrashekar Swamiji was a senior seer of our community. With great patience, he served in his own way. He led the Math for 25 years and recently handed over the responsibility to a young Swamiji. I pray for peace to his soul.”

When asked about Chandrashekar Swamiji blessing him to become Chief Minister, Shivakumar said: “He blessed me with a pure heart. I hold immense respect for him.”

Dy CM Shivakumar had earlier stated, “The government is considering taking action against those who have lied and spread misinformation in connection with the Dharmasthala case.”

The issue has taken a political turn with the SIT not able to recover any substantial evidence even after excavating 17 sites for over 14 days in Dharmasthala at the behest of the unidentified lower caste Hindu man who had claimed that he had buried hundreds of dead bodies of woman, girls and children, mostly murdered after sexual assault in Dharmasthala.

–IANS

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