Writers condemn BJP's failure to protect minorities

Bangalore, Sep 20: Jnanpeeth award winning writers Girish Karnad and U R Anantamurthy today came down heavily on the BJP government in Karnataka for failing to safeguard the interest of minority communities.

Criticising the Sangh Parivar of being behind the attacks on places of worship in different districts of the state in the last one week, radicals taking law into their hands should be dealt with severely, they demanded.

Speaking at different functions, Mr Karnad said the government should hold a thorough inquiry into all incidents and bring the culprits to book.

''Forcible conversion is wrong, at the same time pro Hindu organisations unleashing terror are also not acceptable,'' he said.

Mr Murthy said the BJP government in the state must feel 'shameless' to say that there was no evidence against the attackers.

Slamming the Sangh Parivar, he said great saints were responsible for saving the Hinduism. But Hindu radicals were actually working against the community.

''I call for major reforms in the Hinduism. The first step should be to appoint a non-Brahmin as the chief priest of Udupi Krishna temple,''he said.

It was good that the state government ordered a judicial probe into the attacks, he added.

UNI