Union minister Anantkumar Hedge today condemned the proposed move on mutts and temples by the Congress government in Karnataka saying it was aimed at the upcoming polls and has hurt the sentiments of the Hindus. The circular, issued on January 29 seeking public views on whether to amend a law to bring mutts and temples of Hindus, Buddhists, Jains and Sikhs under the state control, was, however, withdrawn today following protest by the BJP. "The Congress is indulging in low-level politics... This was done keeping in mind the upcoming assembly elections," Hedge told reporters here. Hegde, known for making controversial comments, questioned why at all in the first place the state government had to issue such a circular and withdraw it later. He also sought an apology from Chief Minister Siddaramaiah for hurting the feelings of the majority community and creating a kind of unrest in the society by issuing this circular. "Why do you want to take control of mutts? What kind of governance is this? People are seeking clarification on this issue.
Not only that, you must tender an apology. You have hurt sentiments of all majority people," he said. Hedge alleged that the Siddaramaiah government was trying to create unrest by dividing the people. "Please don't play with our feelings. The days are not far to say goodbye to the Congress. Let there be peace in Karnataka," he said. MP from Mysore constituency Pratap Simha sought to know if Buddhists, Jains and Sikhs are minorities. "If so, why their temples are being taken over and why not churches and masjids." Simha was among other four Karnataka MPs -- Nalin Kumar Kateel, Bhagwanth Khuba and Satish Reddy -- present at the press conference.
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