In Karnataka, the Congress is involved in a heated debate when one of its leaders questioned the word ‘Hindu’s’ origin and said that the name and religion are being ‘forcefully imposed’ on the people.
‘Where has the term ‘Hindu’ come from?’ the Congress leader Satish Jarkiholi responded when asked. ‘It came from Persia. And where is that? Iran, Iraq, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. So, what is its relation with India? How is (the word) ‘Hindu’ yours?’ ‘You are forcefully imposing this word and religion on us.’
Jarkiholi urged a discussion on the subject, saying: ‘There should be discussion on this. Check WhatsApp, and Wikipedia. This term isn’t yours. Why do you want to put it on a pedestal? When you learn about its meaning, you will be embarrassed. The meaning of the word is very dirty. I am not saying this. It is already on websites.’
Jarkiholi, a former minister in the Congress government, was giving a speech at a meeting in the Belagavi area of the state. The BJP, a political opponent of the Congress, as well as users online have severely responded and criticised the remarks.
‘It’s very unfortunate. The Congress party has always insulted the majority. Earlier, it was Siddaramaiah doing the same. Now, his follower and a former minister, Satish Jarkiholi, is doing the same,’ BJP’s S Prakash said.
‘This is a baseless argument. He is saying Hindu is a Persian word which is kind of an abusive word. These kinds of humiliation they enjoy. The Congress should clarify his statement and tell us if this is a personal stand or an official stand. Even otherwise, the Congress should apologise and take action against Satish Jarkiholi,’ Prakash added.
‘He has no authority to decide all that. This only creates unnecessary controversy.’ While some People on twitter agreed with the Congress leader’s assertion, many others were unimpressed.
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