Karnataka Home Minister V S Acharya spoke to Suman K Jha after a top-level meeting in Bangalore. Excerpts:

Why is the BJP Government taking no action even as attacks on churches continue unabated?

On Sunday, there were two stray incidents — one of stone-pelting, the other of house-breaking. We are taking measures to beef up security across the state. We’ll hold a special Cabinet meeting on Monday morning for this.

But why are you not able to put an end to the attacks?

Forces inimical to the present Government are at work. I was myself stationed in coastal districts for two days (after the initial attacks), which was visited by leaders like Deve Gowda and Margaret Alva. After the situation turned normal there, these forces, it seems, are targeting newer areas.

But the Bajrang Dal is saying that Karnataka is the new Hindutva lab.

We have nothing to do with forces like the Bajrang Dal. They are, it seems, part of a bigger design working against this Government.

Pramod Mutalik, who led the attacks on churches, has told us that they are getting support from the present BJP Government.

Mutalik is against this Government and our Chief Minister. We’ve already ordered his arrest but he is hiding somewhere.

You were the first Bharatiya Jana Sangh representative to be elected in the state, and you are very close to various Hindu organisations.

I’m equally close to the Catholic Church. The present bishop in Bangalore has been known to me for many years. This has helped me normalise the situation here.