Published Nov 09, 2022 | 7:49 PM ⚊ Updated Nov 09, 2022 | 7:50 PM
BJP party workers protest against Satish Jarkiholi's 'Hindu' remark in Bengaluru. (Supplied)
Under pressure from his own party leaders, Karnataka Congress working president Satish Jarkiholi on Wednesday, 9 November, withdrew his remarks on the term “Hindu” and expressed regret.
Jarkiholi’s decision to relent, after being defiant for days, came even as the BJP went to town deeming his remarks a reflection of the Congress’ “anti-Hindu” stance.
Ahead of the Assembly polls in Karnataka, Jarkiholi’s remarks on the origin of the term “Hindu” became the perfect ammunition in the hands of the BJP, which started a whole campaign to counter it.
Following severe backlash from within Congress for upsetting the balance the party has been trying to maintain to avoid providing fodder to the BJP’s Hindutva poll push, Jarkiholi withdrew his statements in a letter to Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai.
The Belagavi strongman asked Bommai to order an inquiry into what he deemed a “systematic conspiracy” to defame him.
“One statement of my whole speech has been twisted and publicised with ill intent. With good intent and to ensure that the twisted statement doesn’t create confusion in society, I am withdrawing what I said in my speech. I also express regret if my statement has hurt anyone’s feelings,” Jarkiholi wrote in the letter.
In it, he has also asked for a committee to be set up to inquire into how vested interests deemed him “anti-Hindu”.
Satish Jarkiholi courted controversy after stating that the word “Hindu” originated from Persia.
“The term Hindu comes from Persia and has no connection to India. Look it up yourselves. Why then are you so keen on celebrating it, putting it on a pedestal? Do you even know what Hindu means in Persian? Its meaning is horrible,” Satish Jarkiholi was caught on camera saying during a speech at a public event recently.
Jarkiholi’s statement went viral on Monday. The Congress jumped into damage-control mode soon after, insisting that it was Jarkiholi’s personal opinion and not that of the party.
“The Congress supports all religions and does not agree with his (Satish Jarkiholi’s) statement. We will seek an explanation from him on the matter,” KPCC president DK Shivakumar told reporters on Tuesday.
Karnataka in-charge from the AICC, Randeep Surjewala, went one step further to even “condemn” Jarkiholi’s statement.
Hinduism is a way of life & a civilisational reality. Congress built our Nation to respect every religion, belief & faith. This is the essence of India.
The statement attributed to Satish Jarkiholi is deeply unfortunate & deserves to be rejected. We condemn it unequivocally.
— Randeep Singh Surjewala (@rssurjewala) November 7, 2022
Jarkiholi, however, had remained defiant and refused to apologise, further fuelling the BJP’s campaign.
“I haven’t said anything wrong. If anyone can prove me wrong, I will resign as MLA. There is no question of apologising,” Jarkiholi said on Tuesday. Following massive pushback from his own party leaders and protests by BJP demanding an apology, Jarkiholi relented on Wednesday.
As part of its “I am a proud Hindu” campaign, kicked off by senior BJP leader and Karnataka Minister for Energy Sunil Kumar in response to Satish Jarkiholi’s statement, the saffron party’s workers staged a protest at Mysuru bank circle in Bengaluru on Wednesday, 9 November.
They held placards with “I am a proud Hindu” written in bold, shouting slogans against Jarkiholi — who is also the working president of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC).
Despite the Congress distancing itself from Jarkiholi’s statement and even condemning it, the influential leader from Belagavi has remained defiant, even reiterating his statement, throwing open a challenge to anyone who can prove him wrong.
While the Congress is squirming over the row, the BJP has turned it into an opportunity to highlight its Hindutva poll push.
Quick to cash in on the remarks, BJP leaders in Karnataka started the “I am a proud Hindu” campaign on social media, accusing the Congress of being “anti-Hindu”.
The controversy came as a gift on a platter for the BJP, which has been highlighting its Hindutva push in the run-up to the Assembly polls.
Ministers like Sunil Kumar and CN Ashwathnarayan championed the campaign.
All these years, the @INCIndia has been following Nehru who was against calling him a Hindu. The party never misses a chance to degrade Hindu religion, Hindus, Hindutva & National ideals. Comments by @JarkiholiSatish
Is just a continuation of this tradition. #ನಾನುಸ್ವಾಭಿಮಾನಿಹಿಂದು— Sunil Kumar Karkala (@karkalasunil) November 8, 2022
Twitter and Facebook are now abuzz with various pro-BJP handles promoting the campaign and declaring themselves “proud Hindus”, while decrying the Congress and Satish Jarkiholi.
Karnataka BJP vice-president Nirmal Kumar Surana said that it had become a routine affair for the Congress to target Hindus.
“The Congress has not done anything for Hindus. The Congress exploited the nation on the pretext of democracy for a very long time. Now, when someone is attempting to build temples and revive Hindu culture, the Congress is restless. Even Ambedkar and Mahatma Gandhi had great regard for Hindus in the country, but the Congress’ Gandhi family has ruined it over the years,” Surana told South First.
The social media campaign transformed into a physical protest on the ground, with BJP leaders keen on keeping the controversy alive.
Protests were organised across the state on Wednesday against Jarkiholi. Protestors demanded his apology and intended to continue the protest till Prime Minister Narendra Modi visits Karnataka on 11 November.
