K'taka govt created multiple castes among Christians to promote conversions, break Hindus: BJP

Bengaluru, Sep 12 (IANS) Questioning the categorisation of castes within the Christian community by the Congress-led government in Karnataka, the state unit of BJP urged the government to provide immediate answers on whether there are multiple castes in Christian community and questioned if it was done to promote conversions to Christianity and to break Hindu community.

Speaking to the media at BJP State Office Jagannath Bhavan in Bengaluru on Friday, the opposition party’s chief whip in the legislative council and BJP MLC N. Ravikumar questioned whether castes such as Kuruba Christian, Lingayat Christian, Maratha Christian, Balija Christian, Madar Christian, Vokkaliga Christian, Banjara Christian, Bhovi Christian exist, and stated that 47 new castes have been created this time.

"Are there multiple castes in the Christian community? The government should provide an immediate clarification in this regard," Ravikumar demanded. He also claimed that the government is working to break Hindu religion and society, and demanded an immediate explanation, calling it a conspiracy to further divide the Hindu community.

He sarcastically added that perhaps the Christians themselves are not aware of these 47 new castes.

He further asked whether the government, under Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, had decided to create new castes in order to promote Christian conversions, and whether a notification had been issued for the same.

He criticised the government, saying it has not distanced itself from such actions and urged the Chief Minister to clarify the matter immediately.

He stated that the Chief Minister had announced in a press conference that from September 22 to October 7, another survey will be conducted regarding social, educational, and economic backwardness.

Ravikumar further stated: "The government is reportedly considering renaming Shivajinagar Metro Station to "St. Mary." He warned that if the Shivajinagar Metro Station is renamed "St. Mary," the BJP will launch a massive protest across the state.

He described Shivaji Maharaj as a great leader who led the historic battle to preserve Hinduism in the country.

He demanded that the conspiracy to rename the station be immediately abandoned.

He further accused the government of extreme minority appeasement. On one hand, there is an attempt to change the name of the station, and on the other hand, Rs 398 crore has been released for Muslim colonies.

He added that there is no objection to this, but questioned why Bengaluru roads are in terrible condition — vehicles cannot move properly due to potholes, and two-wheelers and autos cannot run during rainfall.

He asked when the government would allocate funds to fix the roads, adding that the government has not constructed even a single km of road in the state.

He questioned why Muslim women are provided Rs 50,000 during marriage while Hindus are not, asking if there are no poor Hindus.

He also criticised that Muslims are given 4 per cent reservation in civil contracts and 15 per cent in housing schemes, calling it a blatant minority appeasement.

He alleged that 1,500 acres of Waqf land have been taken under government control and that the amount of Waqf land in the state has increased.

He further claimed that temple and farmer lands are being declared as Waqf property.

Regarding the Dusshera inauguration by Booker awardee, he criticised that while two winners were awarded, only Banu Mushtaq has been invited for Dusshera celebration inauguration.

He concluded by stating that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah should declare that this government is dedicated to minorities.

--IANS

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