Sunday, January 23 2005 13:10 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Kalavai: Condemning the action taken against Kanchi Seer Jayendra Saraswathi, former youth Congress president M S Bitta today (Jan 23, 2005) said it was an attack against Hindu religion.

Bitta, who arrived in Kalavai this morning, told reporters that, "political terrorism was now being used against religious heads. This was not a healthy trend".

When asked whether he had come with any message from the Congress, Bitta replied in the negative. "You may think I have come as a Congress leader or as the head of the Anti Terrorism Front (ATF) but I have come here as a devotee. I am a Bhakta of Shankaracharya".

Bitta who talked to the media after spending over half an hour inside the Mutt, said he was yet to meet the Shankaracharya as the Seer was doing his puja. Bitta said he would wait and talk to the Seer.

Stating that he was first person to protest against the arrest of the Seer, Bitta said he would decide on the future strategy of the ATF on the issue after talking to the Seer.

Bitta said though he wanted to meet Shankaracharya much earlier, he could not do so because of the demise of former Prime Minister P V Narasimha Rao.

Since was came under the z-plus category, police had made tight security arrangements and were allowing the devotees inside the Mutt after screening them.

Earlier, speaking to reporters at Kanchi Mutt at Kancheepuram, Bitta said religion was in danger in Tamil Nadu.

Denying charges from a section that Congress president Sonia Gandhi was behind the arrest of Kanchi Seer Jayendra Saraswathi, he said the Centre could not intervene in this as that would be an interference in State's affairs.

He said the freezing of Mutt accounts among other things would not kill the Mutt. The Seer could brave any 'freezing' and withstand chill and cold, he quipped.

He was received at the ashram by Mutt manager Pollachi Mahadeva Iyer. Bitta stood in silence for a while in front of the samadhi of Mahaswami Chandrasekarendra Saraswathi before leaving for Kalavai.