Keep Your Company Right, Avoid Company Of ‘Sanatanis’, and Remain Cautious of RSS: Siddaramaiah

 

While the entire nation rejoiced in celebrating the auspicious return of Lord Shri Ram. With Ayodhya illuminated in lamps of devotion and the spirit of Diwali resonating from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, a stark contrast emerged in one corner of the country. In Karnataka, the Congress-led government, driven by its anti-Hindutva mindset, chose this sacred moment to launch scathing attacks on Sanatan Dharma and its followers, hurting the sentiments of millions of Hindus.

 

On the 18th of October, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah launched a scathing attack on the Sanatan Dharma as he urged people to avoid the company of ‘sanatanis’ and remain cautious of the RSS and Sangh Parivar.

 

In recent years, senior Congress leaders, including Siddaramaiah, Priyank Kharge, and Mallikarjun Kharge, have repeatedly sought to redefine Bharat’s cultural and spiritual identity by invoking figures like Basavanna, Buddha, and Dr B.R. Ambedkar. These invocations, often framed in political contexts, appear aimed at creating a narrative that distances itself from the broader civilisational ethos of Hindutva.

 

Recently, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah went a step further by drawing a controversial connection between a shoe-throwing incident targeting Chief Justice of India Dr B.R. Gavai and the Sanatan Dharma community. He remarked, “The fact that a Sanatani threw a shoe at the Chief Justice shows that Sanatanis and orthodox elements still exist in society. This act should be condemned not just by Dalits but by everyone. Only then can we say that society is moving on the path of change.”

 

Recently, sections of the Lingayat community, who trace their roots to Basavanna’s teachings, were urged to identify themselves as “Veerashaivas” instead of “Hindus” in official surveys, further fuelling debates over attempts to fragment Hindu identity.

 

Nevertheless, Siddaramaiah’s son, Yatindra Siddaramaiah, too had earlier attempted to malign the RSS by comparing it to the Taliban. He alleged that the RSS wants to impose Hindutva just like how the Taliban issues orders to impose the tenets of Islam.

 

Siddaramaiah’s statements, while framed as social reformist, align with Congress’s ongoing attempts to reframe Karnataka’s cultural identity away from Hindutva under the pretext of progressive politics.