Karnataka Leader of the Opposition Siddaramaiah on Friday suggested that the founding fathers of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) were not “native Indians” in an attempt to discredit the BJP’s ideological parent amid a brewing controversy over lessons in school textbooks.
Siddaramaiah’s suggestion that the RSS belongs to the Aryan race rattled BJP leaders who lined up to attack the Congress leader.
“This RSS...are they native Indians? We’ve been quiet because we didn’t want to rake up a few things. Are Aryans from this country? Are (RSS) Dravidians? We must go to the roots,” Siddaramaiah said during a party event to observe former prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s death anniversary.
“Who is responsible for a 600-year Mughal rule? If you were united, how could they come and who gave them space? Who is responsible for the 200-year British rule,” Siddaramaiah asked.
The Congress leader said this in the backdrop of the BJP government’s move to revise school textbooks.
“One person named Rohith Chakratirtha has been given the responsibility of deciding what kids should study in textbooks. Where are we headed? Bhagat Singh’s lesson has been replaced with (RSS founder) KB Hedgewar’s speech...do you need a bigger patriot than Bhagat Singh,” Siddaramaiah asked.
He accused the BJP of “trying to distort” history. “ After the BJP came to power, it has become difficult to know what the right history is,” he said.
Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge also slammed the BJP over the textbooks controversy. “They want children to study Hedgewar’s 1921 speech. What is Hedgewar’s contribution? They’re trying to remove Bhagat Singh, Nehru and Gandhi one by one by including divisive ideology in textbooks. We must fight this,” Kharge said.
BJP national general secretary CT Ravi shot back at Siddaramaiah and questioned his idea of Indian nativity. “Time and again, Siddaramaiah and some others get possessed by Macaulay's ghost,” Ravi said. “Weren’t Gandhi and Nehru Indians? Who are Indians, if not Gandhi, Nehru, Tilak and Bhagat Singh?”