Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) President G Parameshwara on Tuesday questioned why the BJP believed that they were the sole custodians of Hindu culture and asserted that the Congress believed in ‘inclusive Hindutva’.
Speaking at a press conference at Congress Bhavan in Bengaluru, Parameshwara said, "Rahul Gandhi went to a temple in Gujarat and they (BJP) are calling it an offence. Have Congress leaders not gone to temples in the past? Didn't Indira Gandhi, Rajeev Gandhi, Nehru and Shastry not go to the temple? Weren't they Hindu? If Rahul Gandhi goes to temple, they are saying Congress is playing soft Hindutva. Ours is not soft Hindutva, it is an inclusive Hindutva."
Over the last few weeks, many media friends have constantly asked me - if the Congress is trying to portray a 'soft hindutva' face? I really wonder, what is 'hard hindutva'? Is it communal? What is soft hindutva? Accepting everyone unconditionally?
— Dr. G Parameshwara (@DrParameshwara) January 9, 2018
He also criticised BJP leaders including Anantkumar Hegde, Pratap Simha, Shobha Karandlaje, BS Yeddyurappa among others for “shedding their masks after the recent visits of BJP National President Amit Shah”.
“These so-called leaders, who despite their seniority in the party, are willing to sacrifice their own position and the state of Karnataka. They have polarised the people and caused irreparable damage to the State’s peaceful and harmonious fabric, by instigating communal tension and violence. People of the coastal parts of Karnataka have seen how a highly literate and enterprising image of the region has been besmirched giving it a bad name and reputation all over the country,” he said.
He defended the ruling Congress government’s regime in Karnataka. “However, I know that the people of Karnataka are mature enough to judge the performance of Congress government during the last five years. This current government has delivered on almost all the pre-poll promises made in the 2013 election manifesto. What is even more remarkable is that these have been fulfilled without a single corruption scandal, unlike the five-year BJP rule from 2008 to 2013 that saw three chief ministers, imposition of President’s Rule, and ministers quitting office on corruption and rape charges,” he said.
Karnataka is set to go to polls with the state assembly elections in May and the Congress and the BJP have both taken out rallies to canvass for votes.