Mysore/Mysuru: Noted thinker Chakravarty Sulibele has cautioned people against blindly believing those who criticise the Hindu religion and its culture without applying wisdom.

He was addressing a gathering at the programme ‘Dharmakshetra Ulisona’ organised by the ‘Punyakshetra Samrakshana Samiti’ at Jaganmohan Palace in the city yesterday, in the wake of what he termed as conspiracies against Shri Kshetra Dharmasthala.

Expressing dismay that people, especially Hindus, often accept unverified arguments and make ill-conceived remarks against religion and its leaders, Sulibele warned: “If such a pliable mindset continues, the ongoing vituperative campaign against Dharmasthala may not stop at temples, but enter our puja rooms too.”

Heggade’s social initiatives

Highlighting Dharmadhikari Dr. D. Veerendra Heggade’s contributions, Sulibele noted that in the last decade alone, Heggade had donated over Rs. 175 crore to 12,000 temples across the State.

Through the Dharmothana Trust, more than 400 dilapidated temples were restored.

 He also listed Heggade’s initiatives: helping lakhs of needy families, facilitating ₹1.25 lakh crore in bank loans under the name of Lord Manjunatha, providing scholarships to 70,000 students, donating school furniture, deputing thousands of teachers to Government schools, feeding 40,000 devotees daily, and running de-addiction camps that rehabilitated over 1.5 lakh people.

Conspiracy theory

Sulibele alleged that vested interests, unable to digest Dharmasthala’s role as a social alternative to the Government, hatched a conspiracy to malign its image through fabricated stories.

 “How fair is it to question the sanctity of a centuries-old shrine merely based on a video?” he asked, linking the present attacks to a historical pattern of invasions by Mohammed Ghori and Ghazni.

Mysuru link?

He alleged that Mysuru-based NGO Odanadi Seva Samsthe and its founder Stanley spearheaded a negative campaign in Dharmasthala households in 2023.

He dismissed a new video, where a woman claims to have witnessed Sowjanya’s kidnapping, as an attempt to divert attention from the so-called ‘mass burial’ case, which he termed a “burude” (bundle of lies).

He questioned the alleged connections between Stanley, former IAS officer-turned-MP Sasikanth Senthil, and YouTuber Sameer.

Selective silence

Acknowledging that religion should not prevent one from condemning atrocities against children, Sulibele asked why no voices were raised when such incidents occurred in places of worship of other faiths at Raichur and Chikkaballapur. “This selective silence raises suspicion of a deliberate agenda,” he said.

While refraining from commenting directly on Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Sulibele alleged that some in the CM’s team with a “leftist mindset” were hand-in-glove with vested interests.

Sri Shivabasava Swamiji of Sri Ramayogeshwara Mutt (Baby Betta), activists Kirik Keerthi and Vikas Shastry were present.

Banu Mushtaq’s selection not acceptable…

Adding his voice to the rising chorus of opposition against the selection of International Booker Prize-winning Kannada poet Banu Mushtaq to inaugurate Mysuru Dasara-2025, Chakravarty Sulibele expressed displeasure at what he termed the passive mindset of Hindus.

“We won’t act directly, except through activism on social media and TV debates. To divert attention from the ‘Burude’ case, Banu Mushtaq may have been handpicked for the Dasara inauguration. But this time, Hindus have displayed remarkable intelligence by simultaneously taking on both issues. The pro-Dharmasthala movement will not stop,” Sulibele declared.