A Congress leader in Karnataka stoked a controversy after he allegedly said that the word 'Hindu' has a dirty meaning. A video clip of his statement has been dong the rounds on social media, drawing flak from the ruling BJP.
In the video, Karnataka Congress Working President Satish Laxmanrao Jarkiholi is heard saying that the word 'Hindu' is Persian and does not have its origins in India.
"They speak about Hindu Dharm...this that, where did the Hindu word come from? Is it ours? It is Persian. Persian is from Iran, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan. What is Bharat's relationship with it? Then, how did Hindu become yours? There should be a debate on this," Jarkiholi said.
The Yamakanmardi MLA further said: "Look at 'Wikipedia', where this word (Hindu) comes from? It is not yours. Then why are you placing it at such a high position? If you understand its meaning, you will be ashamed. The meaning of the word Hindu, is very dirty. I'm not saying this, Swamiji has said this, it's on websites."
As his statements sparked off a massive controversy, the Congress condemned them, saying Hinduism is a way of life and a civilisational reality.
"The statement attributed to Satish Jarkiholi is deeply unfortunate and deserves to be rejected. We condemn it unequivocally. Hinduism is a way of life and a civilisational reality. Congress built our nation to respect every religion, belief and faith. This is the essence of India," AICC General Secretary in-charge of Karnataka, Randeep Singh Surjewala tweeted.
The BJP condemned Jarkiholi's remarks and said the Congress party should respect people's sentiments and culture.
"They should not be creating confusion. Respect the sentiments, respect the culture instead of being critical. Don't create unnecessary controversies, it is not good in the interest of the societies," Ashwathnarayan CN, Karnataka's Minister for Higher Education, was quoted as saing by NDTV.