Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday reminded Prime Minister Narendra Modi of a statement made by former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 2002 regarding “raj dharma,” adding that it does not fit for the Prime Minister to advise ministers to deliver a ‘befitting reply’ regarding the ‘Sanatana Dharma’ controversy.
During a meeting with ministers, prime minister Narendra Modi purportedly addressed both the ‘Sanatana Dharma’ and the India versus Bharat controversies. While the prime minister called for restraint on the India versus Bharat debate, he reportedly directed ministers to respond strongly to the Sanatana row, which was triggered by Tamil Nadu minister Udhayanidhi Stalin’s statement comparing ‘Sanatana Dharma’ to diseases dengue and malaria.
Siddaramaiah posted on X, “If someone does anything wrong, action must be taken against them according to the law. Encouraging people to respond appropriately amounts to inciting them to take the law into their own hands.”
“PM Modi is not only the leader of the BJP; he also holds the constitutional position of Prime Minister. In such a capacity, his actions should align with the dignity and responsibilities of that position. It appears that Narendra Modi is still sheltering under the RSS umbrella. He seems to have forgotten that he is the Prime Minister of 140 crore people in this country,” Siddaramaiah said.
“Considering PM Modi’s past behaviour, his current statements are not surprising. The former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee himself expressed displeasure with Narendra Modi’s conduct as chief minister during the Gujarat riots and advised him to follow ‘Rajdharma.’ I would like to remind Modi of the late Vajpayee’s words of wisdom,” the CM said.
{{/usCountry}}“Considering PM Modi’s past behaviour, his current statements are not surprising. The former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee himself expressed displeasure with Narendra Modi’s conduct as chief minister during the Gujarat riots and advised him to follow ‘Rajdharma.’ I would like to remind Modi of the late Vajpayee’s words of wisdom,” the CM said.
{{/usCountry}}Later on Thursday, while addressing the public in Ramanagaram during the celebrations marking one year of the Bharat Jodo Yatra, the chief minister said, “He [PM Modi] came here 28 times, and held numerous rallies and roadshows, but the people chose Congress over the BJP. PM Modi is so upset over the loss that he still hasn’t appointed a Leader of the Opposition [LoP] in the state. This marks the first time in history that a legislative assembly was held without an LoP,” he remarked.