Karnataka Secondary and Higher Education minister BC Nagesh on Wednesday justified the anti-Muslim posters put up in Shivamogga. The posters inspired the prohibition of Muslim merchants from establishing retailers at an annual native pageant within the metropolis.

It has been reported {that a} marketing campaign was additionally organised on social media platforms towards permitting Muslim shopkeepers to arrange retailers.

Nagesh, whereas chatting with the media, sided with the Hindutva teams and stated that each motion has an equal and reverse response.

“Everything has an equal and opposite reaction. Those people tried to oppose the law of the land and this is a reaction to it. Someone had a communal agenda and two months ago nobody had thought that the high court would pass an order against it and that Muslims would call for a statewide bandh over the court’s ban on the issue,” he stated.

“Some people around Karnataka also supported the same (the state-wide bandh). And if there is a reaction to it please don’t politicize it,” he added.

The organizing committee of the pageant, Kote Marikamba Jatra, was pressured to allot the tender to a Hindutva group because the leaders of BJP, Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad had demanded that no Muslim be allowed to arrange retailers in the course of the pageant.

The Kote Marikamba Jatra is held as soon as each two years. Lakhs of individuals from neighbouring cities and districts go to the pageant. The pageant was final held in February 2020. The residents say that Muslims and Christians additionally supply ‘Harake’, which is an providing made to the deity for fulfilling their needs.