Political parties trying to politicalise the Kandhamal issue-BJP

Bhubaneswar, Oct 05 (UNI) BJP's national vice-president Venkaiah Naidu today said that Congress and some pseudo-secular political parties were trying to politicalise the Kandhamal issue which was actually a social conflict over conversion and land rights between the Kandhas and Pana communities.

Mr Naidu said the problem arose after the members of the converted Christians Pana community took over the land owned by the Kandhas either by commercial or by fraud and claimed ST status to grab the benefit of reservations.

He said a particular community was suspected to be behind the murder of Swami Laxamanand Sarswati as he was opposing the conversion. The particular community thought him to be a road block for their activities and targeted him.

Mr Naidu said instead of trying to understand the social and local problem the pseudo secularists were making making a hue and cry and trying to defame the RSS and the BJP.

The BJP leader said violence erupted in Kandhamal after swamiji and four of his disciples were gunned down on August 23.

He criticised the political parties for indulging in selective condemnation of violence. He said the persons who were condemning the violence should also condemn the murder of Swamiji.

Mr Naidu onversion was creating social tension, socio-religious conflict, changes demography. Conversion by inducement was the reason behind the violence in Kandhamal and should be avoided. He also called for a nationwide debate on the issue. The rise of a community population from two per cent in 1961 to 20 per cent in 2001 was sufficient to explain it, he said.

The BJP leader said the UPA government, which has a history of misuing Art 356 to settle political scores with their opponents wanted the social clash and outrge against conversion as a cause for dismissing the state government and impose President's Rule in Orissa.

He said ''we would not be cowed down by the threat and dared the union government to impose the President's Rule and face the consequences." He warned that the Congress would be wiped out from Orissa if it took such a step.

Mr Naidu said the union government was threatening to impose President Rule in Orissa as it was non-Congress government but remaining mum while while the people were killed, houses burnt, women raped in Congress ruled states and the states ruled by its alliance partners.

He said the Orissa government was doing its best to restore peace and it was the duty of the union government to assist it.

UNI BD PC AB 2148