People's Democracy

On BJP’s Protest On Shankaracharya Arrest

The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) issued the following statement on November 20, 2004. 

THE BJP leadership has once again come out in its true colours. Its call for a countrywide agitation against the arrest of the Kanchi Shankaracharya on the grounds that it has hurt the sentiments of Hindus is nothing but an expression of its disregard for the primacy of the secular principle and the judicial process. This stance is in keeping with the BJP’s contempt for the law of the land and placing religious faith above the secular principle which was witnessed during the campaign to demolish the Babri Masjid.

The BJP leadership knows very well that the decision to remand the Shankaracharya to judicial custody and subsequently police custody was taken by the courts. The BJP seeks to challenge this judicial process and attributes falsely the decision to the state and Central governments.

The BJP cannot claim to represent “the Hindu samaj”. A big majority of Hindus uphold the principle that nobody is above the law when it comes to criminal charges which are outside the purview of the religious domain.

The BJP’s protest action will be seen for what it is – a cheap attempt to whip up religious sentiments for political gains. It will meet the same fate as its recent attempts to project a communal platform. (INN)