Lucknow, India - After Uttar Pradesh Haj Minister Haji Yaqub Qureshi's offer a reward of Rs.51 crore to anyone killing the Danish cartoonist who allegedly made a mockery of Prophet Mohammad, the Hindu Personal Law Board has also announced a reward of a similar amount for anyone beheading prominent artist M.F.Hussain for hurting Hindu sentiments.
Hussain is being hauled up for allegedly portraying deities and Bharat Mata in the nude.
"Those who are endangering religion and nation, should be eliminated for everyone's good. Anyone who kills Hussain for making obscene paintings of goddess Sarswati and Bharat Mata, the Danish cartoonist, those in the German company printing pictures of Ram and Krishna on tissue paper and the French filmmaker desecrating Lord Shiva will be given Rs 51 crore in cash," said Ashok Pandey, board president.
Following persistent protests by Hindu Janjgruti Samiti (HJS) and VHP against Noted painter M F Hussain displaying the painting on the websites and in an exhibition in New Delhi, the painter apologised and promised to withdraw from an auction of his controversial painting depicting "Bharatmata" in bad light.
HJS had filed a case with Mumbai and Thane Police and appealed to the President A P J Abdul Kalam and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to take action against such "anti-national and perverse attitude of the great artist".
The outfit had held demonstrations against Hussain in Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.