Q&A: Blame DK row on appeasement politics, says Dr Kalladka Prabhakar Bhat

Dr Kalladka Prabhakar Bhat is a familiar name not only in Dakshina Kannada but throughout the state. A doctor by profession, he served as Dakshina Prantha Karyavaha (South Zone chief) of RSS and is now  Kshetriya Karyakari Samithi sadasya (Regional Executive Committee member) overseeing south Indian states. He is the supreme chief of RSS in coastal districts and is blamed for communal disturbances in the coast. After tension in Bantwal in the past two months, Dr Bhat is getting threats over social media making his supporters maintain a high alert. He usually keeps away from the media glare but in this rare interview with DC, spoke in detail about the reasons for tension in Bantwal and the coastal districts.

Bantwal is tense since May 26. What did this happen?
The only reason is the appeasement politics played by Dakshina Kannada district in-charge minister B. Ramanath Rai. He wants to be in power by appeasing a section, he has been doing this since he became an MLA. If there are any cases against Muslims, Rai himself goes and brings the accused out of the police station. This has created a belief among the Muslims that they can do anything and walk free with the support of Rai. Communal elements have received a boost from his acts.

But there are allegations that you too influence the police and support Hindus?
No, no, I have never done anything like him. It is true that if our boys are arrested we go to the police station. But we do not intervene in the functioning of the police. We, however, ask the police not to torture the accused. We allow the law to take its course.

Despite prohibitory orders in Bantwal, you along with Sangh Parivar leaders held a protest rally on BC Road
We were hurt by the developments in Banwal and had planned to protest after Section 144 was removed. Twice we postponed the protest  because  prohibitory orders were extended. It looked like they did not want us to protest. We had to express ourselves. Meanwhile there was an attack on our boy Sharath (Madivala). So we decided to defy Section 144 and express our protest. But you should note that the protest did not create any problem. Though about 3,000 people protested nobody indulged in violence. If protesting under Section 144 is wrong then yes we did it as we had to follow our ‘dharma’, like our freedom fighters did during the freedom movement.

Section 144 is in force in the district for about 50 days. Isn’t this alarming?
What is sad is that despite imposing prohibitory orders, police have failed to maintain peace. Sharath was murdered in his shop which is hardly 100 metres from the police station. If murders can take place under section 144, then can it be called effective policing? 

Do you think police officials are being pressurized in Bantwal?
Yes. They are not given a free hand, they work according to the tunes of the district in-charge minister. You have seen this in the video clipping where the SP was being pressurized by the minister to book a case against me! Recently one of the officers was injured in stone pelting at Kalladka. He had stated that there were some “Hindus”! How can an officer name a community? How did he know they were Hindus? There is another incident where two Hindus were arrested and tortured. The police tortured the boys because they were from the RSS. It reminds me of the Emergency imposed by Indira Gandhi. 

Do you think Sharath Madivala’s murder was due to communal hatred?
Sharath was a RSS worker. He was into social work in Bantwal. He never had any enemies. There is no reason for anybody to kill him. A few days before his murder, he told a person close to him that he felt that somebody had followed him. But it was not taken seriously by him or by his friend. He was definitely a victim of a communal attack.

BJP and Hindu outfits boycotted the peace committee meeting. Is it correct?
A peace committee meeting should have been called in the initial stage when there was tension in Kalladka. Instead a meeting was called on July 13. But even this was not organised properly. I and the RSS are blamed for unrest. But neither was I invited nor any senior RSS leader! Nagaraj Shetty and Krishna Palemar are former ministers. But they too were not invited. Only the BJP president and some leaders were invited. Why should you drag politics into a peace committee? Also district in-charge minister Ramanath Rai is accused for the unrest. In such a situation, the meeting should have been called by the Deputy Commissioner and not the  minister. 

Even if for argument’s sake if we agree that Muslims are creating problems, what about the attacks by Hindus?
Hindus have never acted first. Ours was only a reaction to the action from the opposite side. In the region there has been no case where Hindus have attacked Muslims first. Kalladka has 65 per cent Muslims. Let any Muslim claim that Hindus attacked them. Never. However, whenever we were attacked we never sat quiet. When those who have to protect us are unable to do so, we have to protect ourselves. 

But saffron outfits indulge in moral policing, attack boys and girls and those who transport cattle? 
When a Hindu girl is being cheated or cattle stolen, boys stop them. They feel the girl is like their family member. But when activists are targeted, they sometimes retaliate. It is the same in cattle trafficking. When cattle transporters try to assault Hindus, they retaliate. 

Do you mean to say all Muslims support communal elements?
No, no. I never said so. Only 10 per cent Muslims are into anti-national and terror activities. We should not blame them all. But there is a mistake on the part of the 90 per cent as they sit silent. The good Muslims, especially those who enjoy respect in society should raise their voice against communal and anti-national elements. Once they raise their voice, the criminals would realise that they do not have support within the community. Naturally terror elements will decrease. 

Dakshina Kannada is known as a lab for communal clashes. What do you feel?
The Sangh Parivar is active in DK and Udupi districts. Let me make it clear that the main activity of RSS is social service and creating awareness among Hindus. We have shakhas or branches even in villages where there are no Muslims or Christians! There are 55 projects by RSS, including schools, houses for old, orphanages, special schools. We do all this without publicity. But our opponents see us as an organisation creating social problems. 

It is said that your inflammatory speeches are the reason for social unrest.
I never ask our youth to attack anybody. I never support violence. But I cannot ask them to be silent when they are attacked. 

Why is it that your name comes up when there is communal tension? 
I am the senior most leader of RSS in the region. I am straight forward and many do not like me being like this. They want to target me and get me arrested as they feel RSS will get weak if I am silenced. But ours is not a personality centric organisation. A person is not eternal. There is an end for everyone. If one Prabhakar Bhat is gone, 10 will be born. It is foolishness to think that RSS can be silenced by getting Bhat arrested or by killing me.

You say the fight between two people in Kalladka on May 26 was personal and not communal. Then how did it get communal colour?
Yes. It was a personal fight. The failure of the police in taking strong, unbiased steps gave it communal colour. A day after the incident, some Muslim boys forcefully shut down Kalladka. If police had acted strictly against them, things would have been different.

There are allegations that Brahmins lead the RSS and Backward Class activists  work and finally end up in jail. 
In the initial days, RSS had a majority of Brahmins and upper castes. But over the years, it has changed, all sections are in the RSS now. In the region, the Billava community dominates and so they are more involved in our activities. 

Why stress on Hindutva?
What is wrong in the term Hindu? Our elected representatives go to any programme organised by Muslim or Christian outfits. They even go to programs of caste-based organisations. If they can go to these, why can’t others attend a programme organised by Hindu outfits? How can we be communal? How can they be secular? I had invited Ramanath Rai for a function in our school. I invited him twice. He never came and since then I stopped inviting him.