Chennai: BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) today (Dec 7, 2004) demanded that cases against the Kanchi Seer Jayendra Saraswathi, who is now lodged in Vellore prison after his arrest in connection with the Sankararaman murder case should be shifted to another State from Tamil Nadu.

BJP national secretary Bangaru Dattareya told reporters in Chennai that the demand did not mean that the party did not have faith in the judiciary, "but a fair trial cannot be conducted as the Tamil Nadu Government is adopting a vindictive attitude towards the Seer."

He alleged that the State police was digging up old cases and was interested only in knowing about the assets of the Sankara Mutt.

"This clearly exposes Chief Minister Jayalalithaa's vindictive attitude towards the Seer," he said.

He demanded that the Seer be immediately released or at least be kept in a guest -house. "There are precedents for this. Former Prime Minister P V Narasimha Rao was interrogated in a case in his house. The Seer can be treated like that," he said, adding recently, Telugu actor Balakrishna, who was alleged to have shot two persons, was interrogated by the police in a hospital at Hyderabad and was never sent to prison. BJP would hold demonstrations all over Tamil Nadu on Dec 13, 2004 demanding that the Seer should be released and that the cases against him be transferred to another State, he said.