From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru

Bengaluru, Dec 25: Karnataka’s Social Welfare Minister H Anjaneya has clarified that he had not compared former Prime Minister and BJP stalwart A B Vajpayee, who has been conferred the nation’s highest civilian honour of Bharat Ratna, with Nathuram Godse, who had assassinated the father of the nation Mahatma Gandhi.

''I have not shown any disrespect to Vajpayee or freedom fighter Madan Mohan Malaviya, both of whom have been conferred Bharat Ratna by the Narendra Modi government," he said.

Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Anjaneya said: "I only said it will not be surprising even if Nathuram Godse, the assassin of Mahatma Gandhi, is also awarded Bharat Ratna in the days to come."

''I stand by my statement even now," he said asserting that his comments does not mean that he has compared Vajpayee and Godse as the both are ''incomparable."

The Minister said the right wing outfits have proposed to observe on January 30 to commemorate Nathuram Godse.

The HInduMahasabha representatives had announced plans to build a temple of Nathuram Godse, he said and wanted to know if BJP supports such a move.

Anjaneya said he will celebrate the New Year 2015 by staying in a tribal hamlet of Kollegaltaluk of Chamarajanagar district.

About 80 tribals hamlets located in the forest areas of Kollegaltaluk have been denied of all basic facilities, including electricity, drinking water, school education and roads.

The Minister said he would go to Gombigallu, a tribal hamlet of Soligas, of December 31 on the morning and would spent a day and night there hearing grievances of tribal families.

A team of officials of the Department would reach the hamlet in a day or two assess the implementation of various social welfare schemes, he said.

Anjaneya said he would spend a last day of every month in one of the tribal hamlets of Mysuru, Chamarajanagar, Kodagu, Chikkamagaluru and Dakshina Kannada districts to hear problems of the people residing in forests.

Many welfare programmes for primitive tribal people in Mysuru, Chamarajanagar, Kodagu and Dakshina Kannada districts have not been implemented.

These districts had a sizeable population of primitive tribes living inside the forests or
at villagesbordering the forests, he said and accused the previous Governments of being "indifferent” to the problems of tribal people.

Steps would be taken to build houses, schools and ashrams, and provide electricity and
drinking connections in hamlets.

Lands would be given for tribal families under the Forest Rights Act, he said.

Replying to a question, the Minister said his stay in tribal areas was different from the village stays undertaken by former Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy and the intention to stay in tribal areas was to assess the implementation of schemes.

Anjaneya celebrated the new year (2014) by staying at a hostel of the department in Khanapur in Belagavi.