Biocon chief Kiran Mazumdar Shaw calls out 'religious divide' in Karnataka; BJP hits back

Bengaluru: In a stinging attack on Biocon Chief Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, BJP leader Amit Malviya on Thursday described her comments on the religious divide as politically opinionated and personal.

"It is unfortunate to see people like Kiran Shaw impose their personal, politically coloured opinion, and conflate it with India's leadership in the ITBT sector. Rahul Bajaj once said something similar for Gujarat, it is today a leading automobile manufacturing hub. Go figure…," he tweeted.

Malviya also questioned the silence of Shaw during the Hijab row. He said, "Good to see Kiran Shaw wake up to the religious divide in Karnataka. Did she speak up when a belligerent minority sought to prioritise hijab over education or Congress framed rules excluding non-Hindus from Hindu institutions. She helped Congress draft their manifesto. Explains?," he tweeted, attaching a copy of Karnataka Hindu Religious Institutions and CE Rules, 2002. Rule No, 12 clearly states that "no property including land, building or sites situated near the institution shall be leased out to non-Hindus."

On late Wednesday night, Shaw had asked Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai to resolve the religious divide in the state. "Karnataka has always forged inclusive economic development and we must not allow such communal exclusion- If ITBT became communal it would destroy our global leadership. @BSBommai please resolve this growing religious divide," she tweeted.

Meanwhile, Bommai said the trend of not buying halal meat from Muslims has nothing to do with rules, but practice. However, the state government will look into it after serious objections have been raised against it, he said.

Vishwa Prasanna Teertha Swami of renowned Peejawar Mutt had said the reason for this situation is a reaction to certain injustices meted out to Hindus. A delegation comprising religious leaders and traders from Muslim and Christian communities had met the seer and sought his intervention to end the differences between communities.

The meeting took place in the background of hijab row and ban on Muslim vendors around the temples, besides boycott call, Hindu groups asking Hindus not to buy halal meat from Muslims during Ugadi.

Hindu groups including Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal have been demanding a ban on Muslim traders at temple complexes. The demand to ban Muslim traders around the temples is in retaliation to Muslims banning purchase of fish from women fishermen in Gangolli town of Udupi district.

The fisherwomen had staged a protest against Muslims staging Bharat Bandh against Karnataka High Court's verdict on hijab. (UNI)