Sunday, January 23 2005 15:29 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Bangalore: Seeking to intensify its campaign against controversial American evangelist Benny Hinn, BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) today (Jan 23, 2005) said it would raise in the ongoing legislature session tomorrow (Jan 24, 2005) the issue of allowing the Pastor to hold his three-day meeting in Bangalore and sought the resignation of Chief Minister Dharam Singh for taking part in the prayer meet.

"We will raise the Benny Hinn issue in the legislature," Opposition BJP leader in the Assembly B S Yediyurappa told reporters, while staging dharna in front of the Mahatma Gandhi statue in Bangalore.

"Dharam Singh has lost all moral right to continue as Chief Minister," he said, adding, that the BJP legislators meet has been called tomorrow morning to chart out a plan for raising the controversial issue in both the houses.

Yediyurappa said he wanted the Government to arrest "Hinn", as per the promise of Revenue Minister M P Prakash who had claimed that the State would arrest the evangelist if he indulged in faith healing.

Comparing Hinn to "Aslam Baba", who is behind bars for various crimes including quackery, he said, the Government should take steps to provide free treatment at Government hospitals to those people with illness who attended Hinn's prayer meet.

Yediyurappa criticised the Government for banning the Datta Jayanthi celebrations at the Datta Peeta at the Hindu-Muslim shrine at Bababudanagiri Hills in Chikmagalur district, while allowing the Christian congregation, which, he charged, was "involved in conversion".