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The Tuesday Interview | There are no soft or hard Hindus; Congress represents all faiths: Siddaramaiah

Siddaramaiah, tells DH that all talk of a rift between him and state Congress chief D K Shivakumar is a media-created controversy
Last Updated 07 June 2022, 02:40 IST

Leader of the Opposition in the Karnataka Assembly, Siddaramaiah, tells DH’s Shruthi HM Sastry that all talk of a rift between him and state Congress chief D K Shivakumar is only a media-created controversy. Excerpts from an interview:

What, according to you, will be the issues during the coming Assembly elections in the state?

Corruption and non-performance (of the BJP) will be the major issues. There is a total collapse of administration. Both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai have failed to address corruption allegations raised by the Contractors’ Association. We will also make efforts to showcase the achievements of the Manmohan Singh-led government at the Centre and my government in the state. We will have a manifesto promising a good alternative to this government. People are looking forward to an alternative.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi said that the party cadre were demotivated after the Assembly polls in five states in March-April. How do you think this can be set right?

A setback is quite natural. The cadre will feel disappointed whenever we lose an election. But it doesn’t mean it will have a bearing on all other states. For instance, the BJP is in power at the Centre. How did the AAP, and not the BJP, win in Punjab then? Each state has a different set of issues.

As CM, you rolled out several ‘Bhagya’ (welfare) schemes, but that didn’t help to get you re-elected. Does the Congress have the ability to win elections, especially when the BJP seems to be gaining from communal issues?

They’re projecting communal issues to divert people’s minds from the failures of the government. People want welfare and development. People are now talking about the pro-welfare measures taken by the Congress. Earlier, we failed to market our achievements properly. The BJP’s accusations that we did not implement the Sadashiva commission report (on internal reservation for SCs) and the separate Lingayat religion controversy also contributed to electoral failure.

Why is the Congress ineffective in countering issues such as the hijab row and anti-conversion bill?

We have been countering it. But those who want to politically benefit from it are more aggressive. Each one of us is free to follow our tradition. We have also spoken about halal and defended Muslim traders. We have spoken out on the Azaan issue, in favour of the freedom of all places of worship. Our Constitution prescribes religious tolerance and harmony among different faiths. We need to have tolerance for other religions while having commitment to our own faith.

Striking a balance between religious tolerance and commitment to one’s own religion doesn’t seem to be working for Congress as it is coming across as promoting ‘soft Hindutva’.

There are no soft Hindus or hard Hindus. We have faith in Hinduism. I am a Hindu and follow rituals. I also respect the rituals and traditions of other religions. Humanity trumps all. People understand it. But vested interests are trying to confuse people.

The BJP brands the Congress as a pro-Muslim party on the one hand while, on the other, there’s a growing perception that Muslims are deserting your party.

We are representative of all faiths. If BJP believes in humanity, why does it promote only Hindutva? Why does it say we are not Hindus?

Congress has demanded a ban on organisations like the SDPI and PFI. Is the party threatened by these organisations?

If any communal organisation -- whether it is Hindu Mahasabha, Bajrang Dal, SDPI or PFI -- is harming the unity of society and spreading hatred, you [government] need to take a decision. If that’s making some people brand us anti-Muslim, then it only means that they have no respect for the Indian Constitution.

You sparked off the Aryan and Dravidian debate. But Dravidian identity politics has never been strong in Karnataka. Are you hoping to use this assertion as a political agenda here?

I haven’t said anything wrong. We have all read in history that Aryans were migrants from outside. The BJP was unable to counter it and started making allegations against me. I have no intention of turning it into a political issue.

But when you make such statements, you get branded as anti-Hindu. Doesn’t the optics worry you?

Am I not a Hindu? I am a Hindu. Aren’t backward classes and Dalits Hindus? Why have you oppressed them historically?

You have espoused the Ahinda (minorities, backward classes and Dalits) movement over the decades. Is it still relevant today?

We have been continuing the movement. We have never stopped our efforts to unite people. There is still a large section of the population that does not have political awareness. It’s only with this awareness that communities can think about empowering themselves.

JD(S) state president C M Ibrahim, your ex-colleague from Congress, wants to start the Alingo (minorities, Lingayats and Vokkaligas) movement to counter Ahinda.

What Ibrahim wants to do is irrelevant to me. Our aim is to ensure that marginalised communities come to the mainstream and they get equal opportunities as envisaged in the Constitution.

Your supporters project you as the next CM. Are you interested in another term?

They are saying it out of affection. Ultimately, the party has to make a decision.

Is there clarity on which constituency you will contest from?

There’s still a lot of time for elections. We’ll see…

How do you describe your relationship with KPCC president D K Shivakumar? It’s widely believed that the two of you have a conflict.

That’s just a media-created controversy. We are going together, we are working together, and we will be together.

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(Published 06 June 2022, 17:50 IST)

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