Congress leader and former Karnataka minister, Holalkere Anjaneya, on Monday compared Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to Lord Ram, igniting a slew of enraged responses from opposition leaders.
Anjaneya was reacting to the news that the CM will most likely not be attending the inauguration of Lord Ram's temple in Ayodhya on January 22 since he has not received a formal invitation yet. In this context, he said Siddaramaiah "is our Rama" and that the idol that will be installed inside the sanctum sanctorum of the Mandir would be “BJP's Ram”.
This erupted a slugfest in the southern state, especially since the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and several right-wing groups are in feverish anticipation of the grand opening of the Temple.
"He (Siddaramaiah) is our Ram. Why should he visit Ayodhya for the consecration event? He could pay obeisance at his native village which has a Ram temple. The idol that is to be installed there is the BJP's Ram. They are only sending out invites to BJP people and singing bhajans (devotional songs). So, let them do that. Our Ram is everywhere, he's in our hearts," the Congress leader said.
"The BJP always does this, dividing people on the lines of religion and community. They are aggressively wooing a particular community for votes at the expense of others," he added.
{{/usCountry}}"The BJP always does this, dividing people on the lines of religion and community. They are aggressively wooing a particular community for votes at the expense of others," he added.
{{/usCountry}}"They are talking big about raising the Ram Temple when homeless people in the country are literally living in the gutter. They are spending days and nights under trees. They should build affordable homes for them, give them a better life. Those would be the ideal Ram temples, as opposed to raising a shrine for votes," he further stated.
In response, BJP leader Basanagouda Patil Yatnal launched a scathing attack on Anjaneya, writing on social media that it is the misfortune that "such idiots, nepotists, anti-Hindu have been ministers of the state in the past."
Yatnal also warned the former minister to talk about Lord Ram and other Hindu deities with respect and dignity. "Let the puja deeds of Siddaramaiah, the revered deity of Anjaneyappa Nava, take place in his house in every way. Stop talking about Lord Rama, the idol of Hindus and act with dignity and respect," he added.
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Senior BJP leader R Ashoka, who is also the Leader of the Opposition in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly, also hit out against these statements, saying, “It is only the Congress who is fearing the inauguration of Ram Mandir event in Ayodhya. Congress has again started the politics of hate. In the past, Siddaramaiah's government had massacred activists of Hindu organizations. People are waiting for the historic moment regarding the inauguration of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, only Congress is portraying it as fear.”
"Meanwhile, two people who took part in the Ram Janmabhoomi struggle from Hubli have been sent to jail in connection with a 30-year-old case. The government has taken such a step when Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called to participate in the inauguration ceremony of the Ram Mandir," he added.
“CM Siddaramaiah has no problem celebrating Tipu Jayanti across the state but has issues with the inauguration of Ram Temple,” he further stated.
(With ANI inputs)