Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday hit out at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) by drawing a distinction between Hinduism and Hindutva. Addressing Congress’s 139th foundation day event in Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah said that “some people talk of soft Hindutva” and that there is a difference between being a Hindu and Hindutva.
“Hindutva is Hindutva. I’m a Hindu. Hindu and Hindutva are different…Haven’t we built Ram temples in our villages? Don’t we worship Rama and do bhajans? I too used to go for bhajans in our village…Aren’t we Hindus? We are also Hindus,” the Karnataka CM said.
According to the CM, the Hindutva propagated by the ruling BJP is “fake”.
“Not a single person from BJP, Jan Sangh, RSS, and Sangh Parivar had fought against the British. RSS was born during the regime of the British. But, they didn’t participate in the fight against the British for a single day. The freedom struggle was fought by the Congress party in the country. The falsehood of the BJP should be understood and it should be conveyed to the people,” Siddaramaiah said during the event as quoted by media outlets.
Siddaramaiah had echoed similar comments earlier this year on Hindutva asserting that he is a Hindu but is opposed to Hindutva. “I am a Hindu. How can I be anti-Hindu? I am opposed to Hindutva and politics around Hindu faith. All the faiths are equal according to the Indian Constitution,” he said in January while stating never opposed Ram Temple in Ayodhya but was against using it for political gain. Later in February, he again triggered a controversy with his remark that he is not anti-Hindu but anti-Hindutva as according to him, Hindutva is for murder, violence, and discrimination.
The Karnataka chief minister’s comments come ahead of the consecration of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya on January 22. The rituals for the consecration ceremony will start on January 16 and continue for the next seven days till January 22. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to grace the grand temple’s idol installation. Extensive arrangements are underway for the ceremony, attracting dignitaries and individuals from diverse backgrounds.
