Iftar event: Minister Roshan Baig praises Pejawar seer

BENGALURU: Urban Development & Haj Minister R.Roshan Baig on Wednesday sent a letter to Pejawar mutt seer Sri Vishvesha Theertha Swami commending him for organising an Iftar get-together at Krishna Mutt, Udupi.

Baig’s letter comes close on the heels of Social Welfare Minister H.Anjaneya praising the seer for hosting the get-together inside the mutt premises. The seer’s act has come in for criticism and protests from Hindu hardliners including Sri Rama Sene founder Pramod Muthalik.

When communal elements are indulging in picking up fights on flimsy grounds and, disturbing peace, the Swamiji holding an Iftar party for the members of the Muslim community is a big step in bringing about communal harmony in coastal Karnataka. This is a model gesture not just for Karnataka but the entire country, the Minister said. He hoped the Swamiji will continue with the tradition he has begun this year.

“The communal forces, I hope, will learn their lessons from the Pejawar Swamiji,” Baig told ET.

Muthalik, who has said the Sene will not allow the mutt to host an Iftar event again, has planned to call for a state-wide bandh on July 2 against mutt’s action.