India today conveyed to Russia its concerns over the "sensitive" issue of a Siberian court hearing a petition seeking a ban on Bhagavad Gita and asked it to help resolve the matter.
Ahead of the court hearing tomorrow in Tomsk city, External Affairs Minister S M Krishna called Russian Ambassador to India Alexander Kadakin and told him that the Russian Government should provide all possible help to resolve the issue. Taking up the issue, which has created a uproar in India, strongly with the Russian Ambassador, Krishna conveyed the sensitivities involved in the issue of seeking a ban on the religious scripture, sources said. During the meeting, Kadakin assured Krishna that the Russian Government will do all it can within its powers.
'The External Affairs Minister conveyed the concerns of the Parliament of India and the people of India on the issue. The Russian side has been saying that it is a judicial process and that it will take all steps it can within its power (to resolve the issue),' the sources said.
The Siberian court will hear tomorrow the petition from a group connected to the Christian Orthodox Church, seeking to declare the Gita an 'extremist text'. This is the second time in four days that the Russian envoy has been called by the Ministry of External Affairs to convey the country's concerns on the issue. Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai had called Kadakin last week in this regard.
After the meeting, the Russian envoy told reporters that the Russian Government will do everything it can within in the realm of its powers. "You understand that it is a court case but the Russian Government can do one thing. It can ask the people to express our love and admiration for the Gita. That (assurance) you can get from anyone in Russia," he said.