Onus on Muslims to not hurt Hindu sentiments: Yatnal

His statements come a day after an elderly Muslim watermelon seller’s shop was vandalised by members of the Sri Rama Sene in Karnataka’s Dharwad district, about 400 kms from Bengaluru.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator Basanagouda Patil Yatnal on Sunday said the onus is on the Muslim community to ensure Hindu sentiments are not hurt, amid the ongoing controversy over halal meat and loudspeakers in mosques, among others.

Several pushcarts owned by Muslims were also vandalised by members of the right-wing group Sri Rama Sene near Sri Nuggikeri Hanumantha temple. (ANI)

“For every action, there is a reaction. They (Muslims) have to live with Hindus in this country. They have to ensure that they do not hurt the sentiments of Hindus. Their (Muslim) leaders speaking has made people angry and there is a reaction for these actions,” said the Bijapur legislator.

His statements come a day after an elderly Muslim watermelon seller’s shop was vandalised by members of the Sri Rama Sene in Karnataka’s Dharwad district, about 400 kms from Bengaluru.

The incident, videos of which went viral on social media, added to the growing communal tensions under the Basavaraj Bommai-led BJP-ruled government.

Several pushcarts owned by Muslims were also vandalised by members of the right-wing group near Sri Nuggikeri Hanumantha temple.

Since the hijab row, right-wing groups have targeted the Muslim community on issues like halal meat, azaan, restricting members of minority groups to take part in Hindu religious fairs, asking people not to buy mangoes or use cabs owned and operated by non-Hindus.

On Sunday, former chief minister and Janata Dal (Secular) or JD(S) leader, HD Kumaraswamy, paid the watermelon cart seller ₹10,000 to restart his business, adding to the calls on social media to seek financial help for the victims.

In a series of tweets, the former chief minister hit out at Bommai for not initiating action against the outfits attacking Muslim shopkeepers around the temples.

“Basavaraj Bommai has outsourced the law & order dept of govt to Sangh Parivar, & the goons of Sri Rama Sene are appointed on contractual basis. This is a disaster for Karnataka,” the Congress leader tweeted.

“An act of Mareecha in the name of ‘Rama’!! It is the Ravanas who are dictating Mareechas, & those Ravanas should also be punished,” he further said.

Congress leader and former chief minister Siddaramaiah said if Bommai is still the chief minister, he should get the “goons of Sriram Sena”‘ kicked into jail for vandalising shops of Muslim traders in Dharwad. If Bommai is incapable of doing this, it is better that he resigns for the benefit of Karnataka, he added.

“The goons of SriRama Sene have presented the picture of @BJP4India’s ‘Rama Rajya’. In reality, this is Ravana Rajya in the name of Rama,” Siddaramaiah said.

Noting that the attack by members of Sriram Sena was not just on the Muslim traders but also an attack on farmers growing watermelon, Siddaramaiah expressed apprehension that if they continued to wander on the streets, they would try to enter all the houses.

Reacting to the Opposition comments, BJP’s national general secretary CT Ravi said, “We do not agree that law should be taken into own hands and it is wrong no matter who does it. Why do People who show compassion when watermelons are destroyed do not show any compassion when heads are broken?”

With agency inputs