Karnataka LoP Ashoka claims Dharmasthala charges baseless, demands Cong apology

Bengaluru, June 13 (IANS) Karnataka Leader of the Opposition R. Ashoka on Saturday alleged that attempts to tarnish the reputation of the Sri Kshetra Dharmasthala pilgrimage centre had failed, and accused the Congress government of being part of a conspiracy against the religious institution.

In a statement, Ashoka said, “The truth never dies, and those who target Sanatana Dharma do not succeed. A massive conspiracy against Sri Kshetra Dharmasthala, a sacred centre of faith for millions of devotees, has finally collapsed,” he said.

Ashoka alleged that a group of left-leaning ideological affiliations, backed by the Congress government, had orchestrated a campaign to defame the temple town. Referring to the complainant in the case “Chinnayya,” he claimed that the Congress had used him as a front in an alleged conspiracy to malign the institution.

The BJP leader further accused former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah of giving prominence to what he described as false allegations instead of standing by the truth. “Instead of supporting the truth, Siddaramaiah rolled out the red carpet for those making false claims. Time itself has delivered justice to those who attempted to shake the foundations of faith,” Ashoka alleged.

He recalled that the BJP had organised the “Dharmasthala Chalo” protest campaign to oppose what it termed anti-Sanatana policies and to defend the institution. According to him, recent developments had vindicated the party’s stand.

Ashoka demanded that the Congress government publicly apologise to the people of Karnataka for allegedly attempting to tarnish the reputation of Dharmasthala and hurt the sentiments of devotees.

He also called for action against those allegedly responsible for the episode and said the BJP would continue its agitation until the alleged masterminds behind the controversy were brought to justice.

Karnataka BJP President B.Y. Vijayendra on Friday alleged that a “major conspiracy” had been hatched to tarnish the reputation of the revered Dharmasthala Sri Manjunatheshwara Temple in Mangaluru district and hurt the religious sentiments of Hindus.

State BJP General Secretary and senior MLA V. Sunil Kumar has demanded that the Karnataka government immediately make public the report of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted to probe the Dharmasthala case.

In a major twist in the ongoing Dharmasthala skull case, Chinnayya, popularly known as the “mask man”, who had earlier made allegations in the mass grave case, has claimed that he was used as part of a conspiracy to malign Dharmasthala, the prominent Hindu pilgrimage centre in Karnataka.

–IANS

mka/skp