BJP Leader's message to Indian President

[Guest guest]

Memorandum to Mahamahim Rashtrapatiji

 

We are deeply concerned at the manner in which Shankaracharya of

Kanchi Math, His Holiness Jayendra Saraswati Swamiji, has been

arrested, then incarcerated, on allegations of a criminal case in

Tamil Nadu.

 

We do not comment on the merits of the case. Our law, before which

all citizens are equal, must take its course.

 

We share though the anguish and the hurt sentiments of crores of

Hindus of our country, to whom the Kanchi Peetham is an ancient and

greatly revered institution. It is linked to the sacred heritage of

Adi Shankarachrya.

 

We strongly condemn the move to send the Swamiji to police custody

for three days, especially since he had emphatically stated that he

would fully cooperate with the investigation in judicial remand. The

Swamiji is being treated more as a convicted criminal than as just

an accused. We hold the Government of Tamil Nadu directly

responsible for any ill-treatment meted out to him in police

custody.

 

India is a land of many faiths. We are proud of our secular ethos,

which is rooted in our age-old cultural and civilisational heritage.

It teaches us to respect all faiths. Secularism, however, is not a

license for an irreligious or anti-religious approach to issues and

events.

 

It must be remembered that ours is a deeply religious society and

people religious sentiments deserve to be respected in the conduct

of statecraft. The sanctity and dignity of the Kanchi Peetham, as

indeed of all religious and spiritual institutions, of all

denominations, must be protected from political pulls and pressures.

 

We also hold that suitable guidelines must be evolved for dealing

with cases in which religious personalities and institutions are

involved.

 

Atal Bihari Vajpayee

 

L.K. Advani

 

Jaswant Singh

 

Dr. Murli Manohar Joshi

 

Smt. Sushma Swaraj

 

Arun Jaitley

 

Pramod Mahajan