‘Bababudangiri will never be the Ayodhya of the South'

Most of you are aware of the Sangh Parivar's attempts to destroy the secular fabric in Karnataka by targeting the Baba-Datta shrine on Bababudangiri near Chikmagalur. An example of syncretic traditions in the state, the shrine attracts people of different faiths seeking their God in a common shrine.

The Sangh Parivar has been targeting the shrine on Bababudangiri with the sole intention of destroying this tradition in the name of 'liberating' the shrine from Muslims. In order to achieve their narrow sectarian goal, they have been creating unwanted disputes, putting up historically untenable and legally substantial arguments.

Further, they have introduced previously non-existent religious practices like Datta-Mala Abhiyan, Shobha Yatra and Datta Jayanthi celebrations every year in the months of October, November and December. It is obvious that their main purpose is neither religion nor faith but to target the Muslim community as 'outsiders' who are bent on destroying the 'Hindu' tradition and culture.

Karnataka Komu Souharda Vedike has through the years exposed the Sangh Parivar's farcical claims about the shrine, thwarted their intentions and successfully countered their agenda through its ideology of aggressive secularism.

This year, the BJP has aligned with the Janata Dal (S) to form a coalition government which has thus far supported the communal agenda of the Sangh Parivar. Clear evidence of this was visible in the first week of October during the communal violence in and around Mangalore and in Bababudangiri at the time of the Datta Mala Abhiyan.

To read more about the communalization of Bababudangiri and the Vedike’s campaign through the years:
http://www.sabrang.com/cc/archive/2004/jan04/bbarrier.html