Belagavi: BJP national organising general secretary BL Santosh indirectly criticised public works minister Satish Jarkiholi over his annual “graveyard stay” programme and the practice of solemnising weddings in graveyards, describing such activities as “strange” and detrimental to society.Speaking at the inauguration of Siddheshwar Swamiji’s Gurudev Tapovan at Aralikatti village in Hukkeri taluk on Tuesday evening, Santosh said these acts neither benefit society nor those who practise them, but instead cause harm. Minister Jarkiholi organises the “graveyard stay” every year on Dec 6, the death anniversary of BR Ambedkar, as part of a campaign against blind faith.Drawing a cultural comparison, Santosh said it is customary to worship Goddess Chamundi during Navaratri and questioned what would happen if someone chose to worship Ravana instead. “Ravana was killed by Rama for violating social boundaries. Such perversions create serious problems in society,” he remarked. He added that while there may not be a precise Kannada word for such tendencies, they are described as “wokeists” in English, warning that society faces multiple challenges when such people come to power.Referring to the Tapovan event, Santosh said some leaders were absent from the stage due to various pressures, despite the organisers being aware of the situation. “Even then, the programme was far more successful than expected. Those who stayed away due to political considerations will soon understand the importance of this Tapovan,” he said.Santosh noted that the Tapovan would serve as a positive force against attempts to weaken religious values and would help promote social harmony. At the same time, he cautioned against mixing politics with religion.BJP state president BY Vijayendra, Sadashivananda Bharati Swamiji of Shivananda Brihanmatha Mahasamsthan, Chandrashekhar Shivacharya Swamiji of Hukkeri Hiremath, former MP Ramesh Katti, MLAs Abhay Patil, Mahesh Tenginkai and Nikhil Katti, RSS leader Arvind Rao Deshpande, local leader Basavaraj Hundri, and several other leaders and dignitaries were present.
