BELAGAVI: Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee working president Satish Jarkiholi, who sparked a controversy with his remarks over the word ‘Hindu’ on Monday, has said that he will resign as MLA if proven wrong and he will not apologize for his statement.
“Let anyone prove I’m wrong. If I am wrong, I’ll resign as MLA and not just apologise for my statement,” Jarkiholi said while speaking to the media on Tuesday. Jarkiholi sparked a controversy on Monday by saying that the word ‘Hindu’ is Persian and did not originate in India. He had said that the meaning of the word Hindu is horrible and asked why people place it on a high pedestal.
“Where has the word ‘Hindu’ come from? It has come 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,” he had said at a programme in Nippani.
Soon after Jarkiholi’s statement went viral on social media, senior BJP leaders slammed him for the statement and allegedly insulting and provoking Hindus.
“It has become a habit of Congress and AAP leaders to demean Hindus and insult Hindu Gods and Goddesses. Only during elections do they remember Gods and Goddesses, while the rest of the time, they keep abusing them,” BJP Union Minister Anurag Thakur said.
Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said that the remark was unfortunate. “They (Congress leaders) make statements with half knowledge to appease voters of one community and dream to get minority votes. This is anti-national and everyone should condemn it. Are Rahul Gandhi and Siddaramaiah’s silence endorsing Satish’s statements?”he questioned while speaking to reporters on Tuesday.
BJP spokesman Shehzad Poonawalla also said that the remark insulted and provoked Hindus. “This is not a Sanyog but a Votebank ka Udyog, from Hindu terror to opposing Ram Mandir to linking Gita and Jihad”, he said in a tweet.
Congress leaders continued to maintain distance from Jarkiholi’s statement on Tuesday. Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president D K Shivakumar said that the party supports all religions and does not agree with Jarkiholi’s statement. “Satish Jarkiholi’s statement is his personal opinion and not the Congress party’s opinion. We will ask for his explanation on the same”, Shivakumar said. (ANI)