With his scathing comments on the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and those he referred to as “sanatanis,” Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has sparked a political uproar and advised people to avoid them and be wary of their influence.
Speaking on Saturday at Mysore University’s silver jubilee celebrations, Siddaramaiah charged that the RSS and its Sangh Parivar members were against Dr. BR Ambedkar and the Constitution he wrote.
“Maintain your business. “Associate with people who support society, not with sanatanis or those who are against social change,” he stated.
In reference to a recent incident in which a shoe was thrown at Chief Justice of India BR Gavai, Siddaramaiah asserted that a “sanatani” was responsible and that it demonstrated the persistence of orthodox forces in society.
“Everyone, not just Dalits, should denounce this atrocity. Then and only then can we declare that society is changing,” he continued.
The Chief Minister further charged that the RSS and BJP were disseminating misleading information claiming that Ambedkar was defeated by the Congress in an election. “The truth is that I was defeated by Savarkar and Dange,” Ambedkar wrote in his own handwriting. To expose the Sangh Parivar’s lies, such facts must be presented to society.
The Karnataka government is accused by the BJP of “diverting attention.”
On Sunday, however, the BJP charged that the Congress government was focusing on the RSS in order to divert attention away from its own shortcomings. A Karnataka High Court order on an RSS route march in Chittapur, where local authorities had refused permission, was welcomed by senior BJP leader and Union Minister Pralhad Joshi.
R Ashoka, the leader of the opposition, asserted that the Congress was fabricating “unnecessary controversies” surrounding RSS operations in order to conceal concerns such as infrastructural issues and industry slowdown. He claimed that the Congress is against people who scream “Bharat Mata Ki Jai” and in favor of those who “hail Pakistan.”
Ashoka asked the Congress to “understand what the RSS truly does” and cautioned that any action against the RSS could backfire. “We have never, while in power, placed restrictions on any organization’s programs,” he continued. The Congress should act in a same manner. They ought to first comprehend the nature of the RSS’s operations.
Karnataka IT Minister Priyank Kharge, however, defended the state government’s decision, claiming that permission was refused in order to prevent possible law and order problems in his home seat of Chittapur. Additionally, he stated that the High Court had not given final clearance and had merely requested that RSS reapply.
Considered by many to be an attempt to stop RSS marches, the Congress-led Karnataka government recently made it obligatory for any organization to obtain prior permission before utilizing public property for activities.
Union Minister and JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy further charged that the Congress was “raking up” the RSS controversy in order to deflect attention.
