My remark on Constitution misinterpreted: Seer

Udupi: Vishwesha Teertha Swami of Paryaya Pejawar Mutt on Monday clarified his statement allegedly on drafting of the Constitution, at the Dharma Sansad. “I did not say change the Constitution and neither did I insult or blame Ambedkar. I did not talk about Dalit reservation, instead I clearly urged that reservation be extended to Dalits too,” he said.

“If one insults the Constitution, it means he is insulting the country and I would never do that. However, progressive thinkers and writers do not understand it, which is silly. The Constitution was not drafted by Ambedkar alone, it was drafted by many representatives of our country. They included Alladi Krishnaswamy, KM Munshi, Benegal, Iyer and others.”

“Dwarkanath is a great lawyer, it's ironic that he did not understand what I said. My message was: Do not divide people in the name of religion. The autonomy which churches and mosques get in our country should apply to all. Why do Dalits not get Shaadi Bhagya? Are they not poor?” he questioned.

The seer said the Udupi Dharma Sansad was a successful event, and intellectuals and writers could not digest this, and were unnecessarily finding fault and dragging poor Dalits into it. “Writer Champa has said that he has a good opinion about me. We have a good relationship, however, we have different opinions,” he said.

“Basavanna always opposed cow slaughter, and chief minister claims he is a follower of Basavanna. If so, let him stop cow slaughter,” he added.