Siddaramaiah amid Karnataka 'chaddi' row: 'RSS is a non-secular organisation'

Senior Congress leader Siddaramaiah raised new questions regarding the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) on Tuesday amid the ongoing textbook revision row in Karnataka by saying, “Has a Dalit, OBC or a member from minority communities ever become Sarsanghchalak?”.

The ongoing textbook revision row in Karnataka got intense after former chief minister Siddaramaiah raised fresh questions against the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) on Tuesday. “I'm telling you from the beginning that RSS is a non-secular organisation. Has a Dalit, OBC or a member from minority communities ever become Sarsanghchalak?” the Congress leader said while speaking to news agency ANI. He was replying to a question amid the 'chaddi' row between the ruling BJP and the rival Congress.

Congress stalwart Siddaramaiah has been making several remarks regarding the RSS since May amid the textbook row in Karnataka. (ANI Image)

The controversy arose after several members of the Congress's student wing, NSUI (National Students' Union of India), reportedly burnt a pair of khaki shorts (loosely translated in Hindi as 'chaddi) in front of state education minister BC Nagesh's residence in Tumkur last week while protesting the alleged “saffronisation” of school textbooks by the ruling BJP-led state government in the state. Clashes were reported at the site where several BJP workers were also present and as many as 15 NSUI members were held later. The BJP and the Congress have both since engaged in a political slugfest over the issue.

The textbook controversy was first instigated in the southern state when a speech by RSS founder Keshav Baliram Hedgewar was reported to have been included in school textbooks, while a lesson on freedom fighter Bhagat Singh was allegedly omitted. Several groups have claimed that other works by some renaissance literary figures like A N Murthi Rao's 'Vyaghrageethe,' P Lankesh's 'Mruga Mattu Sundari,' and Sara Aboobacker’s 'Yuddha' were also omitted from textbooks.

"This RSS...are they native Indians? We've been quiet because we didn't want to rake up a few things. Are Aryans from this country? Are (RSS) Dravidians? We must go to the roots," Siddaramaiah said.

According to several reports, RSS members in the Mandya district collected chaddis (shorts) from various households and sent them to the Karnataka Congress office as a protest against the former chief minister's comments.

On Tuesday, Karnataka education minister hit back at the Congress. "They always want to concentrate on Muslim votes. They want to divert the people from the main issue because of their defeat in the assembly elections. They don't know what to do," BC Nagesh told ANI.

(With ANI Inputs)