Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and Revenue Minister R. Ashok have welcomed the interim decision of the division bench of the High Court of Karnataka on Idgah maidan and hinted at allowing Ganesha festival at the controversial Idgah maidan. Chief Minister Mr. Bommai said he had convened a meeting of concerned authorities on Saturday, where final decision would be taken.
‘Letter and spirit’
He said the High Court order on Friday stressed on multi-religious nature of our country and the government would take measures to implement the order in its “letter and spirit”. “We will take a decision in such a way as to implement the order in its letter and spirit, and fulfill the deep wish of a large section of the society and maintain law and order,” he said.
Several Hindutva organisations and prominent BJP leaders like C.T. Ravi, national general secretary of the party has been aggressively pushing for Ganesha pandal at the grounds, which recently saw the Revenue Department hoist the tricolour on Independence Day, after the city’s civic body ruled the grounds belonged to the Department and not Wakf Board, which claimed its ownership.
Answering a question from mediapersons on allowing Ganesha festival at Idgah maidan, Mr. Ashok said the High Court order essentially meant the Department and by extension he was authorised to examine applications for the festival to be held at the venue and allow them. “Ganesha is known to be vignanivaraka (one who removes obstacles). I hope he removes this obstacle too,” he said.
Police apprehensions
Sources said the police department has expressed apprehensions of allowing Ganesha utsava at the Maidan, fearing stirring of the communal cauldron in the city.
