'Hindu a Persian word with horrible meaning', says Cong leader Satish Jarakiholi

Bengaluru, Nov 07: In what was bound to snowball into a controversy, Karnataka Congress leader Satish Jarakiholi has said that the word 'Hindu' actually comes from Persian language and that it has a 'horrible' meaning.

Jarkiholi made the remarks while speaking at an event in Belagavi district on Sunday.

"Where has the 'Hindu' term come from? It comes from Persia... So, what is its relation with India? How's 'Hindu' yours? Check on WhatsApp, and Wikipedia, the term isn't yours. Why do you want to put it on a pedestal?... Its meaning is horrible," said the Congress leader.

"Hindu does not belong to India. It is being forcibly imposed on us. Why glorify it, when it is not even Indian?" he said while speaking in Hindi.

"There should be a comprehensive discussion as to why a foreign word is being forced on us," Jarkiholi added.

The video Jarkiholi's controversial speech has now gone viral evoking backlash from opposition parties.

Bharatiya Janata Party national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla slammed the Congress leader for provoking Hindu sentiments.

"After Shivraj Patil now Karnataka Congress Committee working president Satish Jarkiholi provokes and insults Hindus," he tweeted.

Activist Rahul Easwar also condemned the statement and said he is a proud Hindu.