A week after BJP MLA Harish Poonja delivered an Islamophobic speech at an event in a temple at Thekkaru, located in the communally sensitive Dakshina Kannada district of Karnataka, the temple management issued a letter to the village’s Muslim community, expressing regret over the legislator’s remarks.
During his speech at the Brahmakalashotsava program at Thekkaru Gopalakrishna Temple, Belthangady constituency MLA Harish Poonja questioned why the temple’s Brahmakalashotsava invitation was extended to Muslim mosques, stating, “We have no relation with Muslims.”
In the speech, delivered in Tulu, the two-time MLA accused members of the Muslim community of vandalising tube lights and stealing diesel from generators used for lighting during the temple event.
“Our biggest mistake has been trying to maintain harmony by including everyone. Why did we need to go to the mosque and extend an invitation? Because you gave them the invitation, they broke the tube lights. We shouldn’t engage in such balancing acts. We are Hindus, and we must stand by that,” he said.
“You (Hindus) are only 150 families in Thekkaru. The Muslim community has 1,200 families. In another ten years, their numbers won’t drop to 600. Instead, the number of Bearys will grow from 5,000 to 10,000. Regardless of their numbers, we must unite, rise above caste differences, and work towards the development of the temple,” he added.
Bearys are a community residing in the villages of coastal Karnataka.
His controversial remarks come just days after communal tensions escalated in the coastal Dakshina Kannada district, following two murders in Mangaluru.
The Muslim Okkoota of Thekkaru village has written a letter to the management of the Thekkaru Gopalakrishna Temple, objecting to the remarks made by Belthangady MLA Harish Poonja against the Muslim community during the Brahmakalashotsava event held at the temple.
In response, the representatives of the temple wrote to the Muslim Okkoota of the village, stating that the words by the legislator had hurt some members of the village.
“The management committee of the temple regrets these words. Along with this, the committee welcomes the cooperation of your community. In the future, too, we hope that all communities live by cooperating with each other,” read the letter.
The temple committee wrote the letter after the management of Thekkaru Temple, under the Gopalakrishna Bhatrabail Devaragudde Seva Trust, held a meeting with Muslim leaders of the village.
During the meeting, it was acknowledged that the Muslim community had contributed donations, provided parking and food distribution facilities for the Brahmakalashotsava, displayed flex banners conveying wishes from mosque committees of nearby villages, responded positively to the temple committee’s invitation, and were warmly received by the organizers during the event.
On the other hand, several complaints were lodged against Poonja at various police stations across the Dakshina Kannada district, accusing him of inciting hostility between the Hindu and Muslim communities, with calls for legal action against him.
A local resident, Ibrahim, filed a police complaint against the BJP MLA, claiming his speech was derogatory towards the Muslim community and could incite discord between religious groups, leading to a case being registered under Sections 196 and 352(2) of the Bharatiya Nyay Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS).
Harish Poonja has a history of making Islamophobic and communal remarks.
Earlier, during a meeting with officers to assess the situation in Dakshina Kannada district, Karnataka Home Minister Dr. G. Parameshwara and District In-Charge Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao directed the police to take strict action against provocative speeches, regardless of party affiliation.
