Ram is our family God, I'm his devotee: Karnataka Cong MLA Iqbal Hussain amid Karsevak arrest row

Congress MLA declares himself a devotee of Lord Ram amid controversy over arrest of Hindu activist in Karnataka.

Published on: Jan 5, 2024, 12:51:59 IST

By Yamini C S

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Amid the raging controversy over the arrest of a Hindu activist from Karnataka's Hubballi, Congress MLA HA Iqbal Hussain said Lord Ram is his “family God” and that he is his devotee. The Ramanagara leader also said he will celebrate “Ramotsava” grandly, but in a "secular way".

These statements come in the midst of state-wide protests by the BJP over the arrest of the Srikanth Poojari in a three decade old case.

These statements come in the midst of state-wide protests by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over the arrest of the Karsevak, Srikanth Poojari, for his alleged involvement in the post Babri Masjid demolition riots in 1992.

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Saffron group leaders have since then alleged that the Siddaramaiah-led government in Karnataka is purposefully timing the arrest in the three decade old case only days away from the grand inauguration of the Lord Ram temple in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, on January 22.

In this light, the Congress MLA said, “I've already said I'm a Rama devotee. I worship all Gods and welcome them. There is no second thought about that. I have been worshipping Saraswati, Lakshmi, Ganesha and Rama since my childhood.”

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"I have decided to celebrate 'Ramotsava' with devotion with all the political parties in a grand but secular way. Some people do something for their political gain but Congress never uses God and religion to divide people. Congress has an ideology, commitment and discipline, which I follow," Hussain told news agency PTI.

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"We worship all the Gods including Rama. For them it could be new but not for us. For us, Rama is our family God and we have a Pooja room. They are using Rama for politics. We are not," He added.

(With inputs from PTI)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Yamini C S
Yamini CS is a Senior Content Producer at Hindustan Times with nearly six years of experience in digital journalism. She is part of the India News desk, where she works on a wide range of stories cutting across civic issues, city-based developments, politics, governance, public policy, breaking news, trending topics, and international affairs that have an impact on India. Her role involves tracking fast-moving developments, verifying information from official and on-ground sources, and presenting news in a clear, accessible format for a digital-first audience. A significant part of her work includes handling live blogs during major news events, such as elections, court verdicts, political developments, civic disruptions, protests, weather-related alerts, and unfolding national or international incidents. Through live coverage, she focuses on timely updates to help readers follow complex stories as they evolve. Before moving to the broader India News desk, Yamini was associated with the Bengaluru desk at Hindustan Times, where she extensively covered urban governance, infrastructure, traffic and transport issues, weather events, public grievances, and civic administration in the city. This experience strengthened her grounding in city reporting and sharpened her focus on citizen-centric journalism. She began her career as a correspondent with Reuters after completing a postgraduate diploma in journalism from the Indian Institute of Journalism and New Media. Her early training instilled a strong emphasis on accuracy, sourcing, and news ethics, which continue to shape her reporting style. Outside of work, Yamini enjoys reading across genres, listening to music, and spending time with her family, which help her maintain balance in a fast-paced newsroom environment.Read More

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