Hindutva is Hindutva, I’m Hindu: Sidda again faces BJP rebuttal
After the controversy on lifting of hijab and subsequently doing a course correction, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has kicked up another row by claiming that he was a faithful Hindu but was against Hindutva.
Just weeks after he claimed that he was an atheist, Siddaramaiah tried to steal the wind from BJP’s sail by claiming that he worshipped Lord Ram. Addressing a Congress event in Bengaluru, he said: “Don’t we worship Ram? Are they (the BJP) the only ones? Haven’t we built Ram Mandirs? Don’t we sing Ram Bhajans?
“People sing bhajans during the last week of December... I used to partake in that tradition in our village. This is practiced in other villages too. Are they (the BJP) the only ones? Aren’t we Hindus?
“I am a Hindu. Hindutva is different and Hindu is different,” he said, adding, “Hindutva is Hindutva and there is a big difference between being a Hindu and following Hindutva ideology.”
He also had a take on “soft Hindutva” — seen as a political strategy to win moderate Hindu votes without losing those from minorities.
In a sarcastic note, he asked “'Soft' Hindutva? What is ‘soft’ and ‘hard’ Hindutva?”
Significantly, Siddaramaiah’s respect for Lord Ram and Hinduism comes ahead of the consecration of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya on January 22 and the BJP in the state has started gaining traction over the upcoming event.
Siddaramaiah’s comments are seen by political experts as an attempt to woo the moderate Hindus ahead of the Lok Sabha election in a state that has historically rarely voted for the same party in successive Assembly and Lok Sabha elections.