Bengaluru: The third player in Karnataka politics, the Janata Dal (S), has finally joined the raging debate over Hindutva between the ruling Congress and the main opposition BJP ahead of assembly polls due in April or May this year.
The JDS founder and former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda and his son, former chief minister H D Kumaraswamy, broke their long silence on Sankranthi festival day, ending the endless speculations over their stand. Even though Congress and BJP are at each other's throat over who is a better Hindu, the top brass of JDS had maintained radio silence and not taken any sides.
On Monday, interacting with the media at his house, Deve Gowda took on the BJP questioning communal polarisation in the name of Hindutva.
The former PM said "the fundamental philosophy of Hinduism is tolerance of other faiths. That is real Hinduism. The BJP talks about Hindutva. If you don't tolerate other religions, how can you call it Hinduvta or Hinduism? Innocent people have been killed in coastal Karnataka. Who killed them? For what? Is it Hindutva of BJP?"
He said that Adi Shankaracharya had revived Hinduism and he was the real protector of Hindu beliefs and religion. He added that his Hinduism was Adi Shankara's Hinduism.
Gowda, who has just completed 'Shatha Chandi Yaaga' (an elaborate 15 days long Havan to appease the Goddess Chandika) at Shringeri, said he had performed it for the welfare of the state and "not the destruction of someone".
In an oblique reference to BJP CM face BS Yeddyurappa, he said that someone had performed a 'Shatha Chandi Yaaga' at Kollur to destroy his political rivals.
Kumaraswamy also attacked the BJP over its Hindutva ideology and called them the anathema to Karnataka politics. The sudden decision of the Gowdas to join the issue with BJP has led to a lot of speculations in political circles.
Some see it as Gowda's attempts to keep all the options open in case of a hung Assembly. Some argue that Gowda has sent out a strong message to the BJP that he may prefer Congress over the saffron party if the elections throw up a fractured mandate. Other political analysts feel that Gowda is trying to woo Muslim and Christian voters who form almost 15% of state's population by attacking the BJP.
According to insiders, Gowda family is divided over their post poll strategy. He and his elder son, HD Revanna, favour power sharing with the Congress and Kumaraswamy wants to go with the BJP if no single party manages to get a simple majority.
The BJP has already set the tone for the elections by labeling Congress an anti-Hindu party. The BJP president Amit Shah and UP CM Yogi Adityanath have addressed a few public meetings in Karnataka calling Siddaramaiah an anti-Hindu chief minister. Siddaramaiah has hit back at the BJP claiming that he is a better Hindu and the BJP is a fake Hindu party.
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