In poll bound Karnataka, Siddaramaiah makes scathing attack on Hindutva

As Karnataka heads for Assembly elections this year, Siddaramaiah has been stepping up the fight against the ruling BJP.

Bengaluru, Feb 06: Senior Congress leader Siddaramaiah today kicked up a row after he reiterated that he is not anti-Hindu but anti-Hindutva.

"Hindutva is against Constitution. Hindutva and Hindu dharma are different. I'm not against Hindu religion. I'm a Hindu but oppose Manuvad and Hindutva," said Siddaramaiah.

He was speaking in Kalaburgi during the launch of a book - a biopic of former congress MLA BR Patil.

"Probably most of us here are against Hindutva, we are not against Hindu religion," he said. Further he asked, "is there scope for murder and violence in any religion?

"But in Hindutava and Manuvada, there is scope for murder, violence, and division," he claimed.

BJP hits back at Siddaramaiah

Responding to the statement, BJP hit back strongly accusing Siddaramaiah of talking the language of Tyrants and Barbarians.

Raking to Twitter, CT Ravi posted: "The Supreme Court has said that Hindutva is a way of life. But you are peddling lies that Hindutva supports murder. Why is it that you always talk the language of Tyrants and Barbarians? Has too much of Tipu Sultan worshipping made you lose your sanity?."

The many times Siddaramaiah attacked Hindutva

Siddaramaiah is known to criticize the Hindutva ideology for being divisive and contrary to the secular values enshrined in the Indian Constitution.

He has been vocal against the growing influence of Hindutva in India and the impact it has on the country's unity and diversity.

Siddaramaiah's views on Hindutva are a matter of public record and have been widely debated on social media.

8 January 2023

Asserting that he is a Hindu but opposed to Hindutva, former Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday said he never opposed Ram Temple in Ayodhya but was against using it for political gain.
"I am a Hindu. How can I be anti-Hindu? I am opposed to Hindutva and politics around Hindu faith. All the faiths are equal according to the Indian Constitution," Siddaramaiah had said.

22 January 2023

Siddaramaiah had also accused the ruling BJP is trying to turn coastal Karnataka into a laboratory of Hindutva for their political advantage.
"BJP is spreading lies in the name of Hindutva to cause division in society, the Congress leader alleged. He said Hinduism and Hindutva are entirely different," Siddaramaiah had said.

In 2018, Siddaramaiah launched a scathing attack on BJP, calling people of the Sangh Parivar "Hindutva terrorists".

As Karnataka heads for Assembly elections this year, Siddaramaiah has been stepping up the fight against the ruling BJP.