New Delhi, November 25
The BJP’s belligerent campaign against the arrest of Kanchi Shankaracharya Jayendra Saraswati today forced the UPA government to break its silence on this sensitive issue.
Having so far maintained that this was a matter between the Tamil Nadu Government and the courts, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today wrote to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa, urging her to take all necessary measures to ensure the physical well-being of the arrested pontiff, especially since he keeps indifferent health.
In a carefully-worded letter, the Prime Minister observed that “it is extremely important that the due process of law must not be interfered with and the law must be allowed to take its course.” At the same time, he also pointed out that any investigation involving a person of his eminence “needs to be conducted with extreme care and consideration.”
The Congress is in a dilemma as it cannot openly condemn the pontiff’s arrest as that will amount to interference in the legal process. On the other hand, it cannot support this action as it will be promptly dubbed “anti-Hindu” by its opponents.
On the other hand, Congress leaders have countered the BJP attack by stating that the BJP and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister are actually acting in tandem.
The Shankaracharya’s arrest, they point out, helps Ms Jayalalithaa consolidate her anti-Brahmin support base in the state and also deflects attention from the inner bickerings in the BJP.
