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Siddaramaiah’s attack on RSS sparks slugfest
Responding to the statement, Union parliamentary affairs minister Pralhad Joshi asked the Congress to take action against Siddaramaiah who spoke directly against the Hindu religion by saying Sanatana Dharma members murdered Gauri Lankesh
Bengaluru: Leader of the Opposition in Karnataka assembly Siddaramaiah on Saturday kicked off a controversy by alleging that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) is a creator of terror. The former Congress chief minister claimed that activist and journalist Gauri Lankesh was killed by those belonging to Sanatana Dharma, which he said the RSS professes to champion.
“Who killed Gauri Lankesh? They are from the Santana Dharma. Who belongs to the Sanatana Dharma? It is the RSS and they are creators of terror,” Siddaramaiah said during the interaction with the media.
Responding to the statement, Union parliamentary affairs minister Pralhad Joshi asked the Congress to take action against Siddaramaiah who spoke directly against the Hindu religion by saying Sanatana Dharma members murdered Gauri Lankesh. “Rahul Gandhi plays drama by wearing tilak and performing puja. Let him take action against Siddaramaiah if he has the guts. Siddaramaiah’s remarks show how anti-Hindu Siddaramaiah and Congress are,” Joshi said.
Observing that Sanatana Dharma and Hindu religion have no difference, Joshi said Hindu and Hindutva are the same as it is a way of life and not a symbol of any caste. “Of late, Siddaramaiah has also started saying ‘I am also a Hindu’, just for Hindu votes. Sonia Gandhi and Congress were not worried about the death of police inspector Mohan Chand Sharma in the Batla House incident, but they were worried about the death of terrorists there. The Congress, which gave biryani to Kasab and sought cooperation in Pakistan to bring down Narendra Modi from power, is speaking against Hindus and Hindu religion,” Joshi said.
Defending Siddaramaiah, Congress Rajya Sabha MP Syed Naseer Hussain said that the leader of opposition had raised an issue that was not discussed as it should be. “What Siddaramaiah was discussing was the murder of the father of our nation. Apart from that, till now there are several instances of right-wing ideology involved in violent activities in the country. If you look at the murders of Govind Pansare, (Narendra) Dabholkar and Gauri Lankesh. This is not getting the debate that it deserve at a national level,” he said.
Lankesh was shot dead on the night of September 5, 2017, in front of her Rajarajeshwari Nagar home in Bengaluru. As many as 17 people have been named as accused in the case. A special investigation team (SIT) formed by the Karnataka police to probe the murder case has said in the charge sheet that an unnamed organisation that allegedly recruited right-wing activists from various Hindutva organisations was behind the murder. The investigation also unearthed a link between the murders of rationalists MM Kalburgi in Dharwad and Govind Pansare and Narendra Dhabolkar in Maharashtra.
In the initial days of the investigation, the SIT found a connection between the murders of Lankesh and Kalburgi, who was killed on August 30, 2015. The four bullets and cartridges recovered from Lankesh’s house matched the slugs and cartridges in Kalburgi’s murder. Forensic labs found that the bullets were fired from the same gun.
On Friday, asserting that he is a Hindu but opposed to Hindutva, former chief minister Siddaramaiah had said he never opposed Ram Temple in Ayodhya but was against using it for political gain.
He even claimed that he had constructed many Ram temples in the rural areas of Karnataka. To a question, he said he was never opposed to the Ram Temple in Ayodhya. “Were we ever opposed to the Ram Temple? Our objection is only using the temple for political gain. It should not be used against people of other faith. The BJP is using it for political gain,” Siddaramaiah alleged.
