D K Shivakumar, the president of the Karnataka Congress unit, described the Hinduism practised by the BJP as ‘a drama’ and argued that the Hinduism practised by the opposition party and himself and other party members was superior. However, the KPCC chairman claimed that the Constitution is what Congress propagates.
‘We all are Hindus, we are born Hindus, we will die as Hindus. We are performing (practising) Hinduism better than them (BJP). Theirs is a drama, but ours is from within,’ In response to a question about whether the BJP government was attempting to bring back the Hindutva agenda, Shivakumar stated.
‘Our feelings, devotion and practice, also our rituals and ideals are Hindu. What we propagate is our Constitution,’ he added.
Shivakumar’s comments were made in the context of the unveiling of a life-size portrait of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, a leading figure in the Hindutva movement, in the Assembly chamber at the ‘Suvarna Vidhana Soudha’ located here, along with a number of other national figures.
Congress has criticised the action, saying it was a unilateral choice that kept them in the dark.