Why does Veerendra Heggade pretend not to know?

 In a recent public gathering around Dharmasthala, Veerendra Heggade, the hereditary head of the Manjunatha temple administration, posed a dramatic question to his audience: “Why do people hate me? What have I done to deserve it? I have only served society.” More telling than the words themselves was the plea that followed — he urged local people to continoue to stand by him” For a man long seen as untouchable, this sudden insecurity betrays panic. It shows not innocence, but an awareness of the storm gathering around him.

Heggade would like the public to believe that the hatred directed at him is an inexplicable mystery. Heggade wants to know. Somebody should give him the right answer. Let me explain.

The reasons Heggade wants to know are well known, and indeed, they are talked about in every corner of the region. First, there is the widespread perception that he and his establishment shielded rapists and killers in the infamous Soujanya case and other alleged similar cases. No amount of public denial can erase the belief that the temple empire moved to protect the guilty instead of fighting for justice. Once people become convinced that an institution of faith is complicit in silencing truth, hatred is only natural.

Second, Heggade has built an elaborate wall of political protection around himself. Leaders across parties — those who should hold the powerful accountable — instead act as his defenders. That is the reason why the local police do not entertain any complaint against Heggade family or those favoured by him.  To ordinary villagers, this collusion of religion and politics translates into helplessness for the victims and aggrieved. The question then is not why people hate him, but how they could possibly admire someone whose power rests on manipulating the government machinery to his and family advantage.

Third, there are the economic dimensions. The microfinance operations under his trusts are accused of exploiting the very poor they claim to uplift. Far from liberating people from poverty, the scheme has often trapped them in cycles of debt and humiliation. Add to this the anger over thousands of acres of government land allegedly appropriated by his institutions, land that could have benefited the marginalized, and the perception of “service” begins to look like systematic plunder.

Fourth, Heggade’s family and associates have repeatedly used the courts to harass dissenters. Activists, critics, journalists and whistleblowers face a barrage of cases designed to silence opposition. For him to now act as if he does not understand the roots of resentment is pure dishonesty. If lawsuits are being filed in his family’s name, he cannot claim ignorance.

When Heggade stood before his people and asked “why am I hated?” it was not an innocent question. It was theatre. He knows the answers as well as anyone. His request for support was not the voice of a servant of society, but of a powerful man who fears that his protective walls are beginning to crack.

In the end, the question is not whether people hate him unjustly. The question is whether he has the courage to admit why they do. Until then, his performance of innocence will only deepen the resentment he claims not to understand.