Facing fierce backlash, Congress leader withdraws “Hindu” remarks, apologises

Satish Jarkiholi: Karnataka Congress leader Satish Jarkiholi, who was under heavy backlash from the BJP for his remarks on the origin of the word Hindu, finally withdrew his comments and issued an apology.

Jarkiholi was slammed by his own party leaders for the comments that he made on Monday.

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Alleges conspiracy

Jarkiholi wrote a letter to Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai with the apology and requested him to probe the matter. “There is a conspiracy to project me as anti-Hindu,” he wrote in the letter to CM Bommai and sought the formation of a committee to investigate the matter.

Jarkiholi, who faced fierce backlash, had remained defiant for two days before apologising.

The origin

“The word ‘Hindu’ — where did it originate from… It’s Persian, from the region of Iran, Iraq, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan. What is the connection of the word ‘Hindu’ with India? Then how can you accept it? This should be debated… You will be ashamed to know the meaning of ‘Hindu’,” he had said in Belagavi.

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He insisted that many books mention the Persian roots of the word “Hindu”. He also offered to resign if anyone could prove him wrong.

The BJP on Wednesday staged protests across Karnataka, including Bengaluru, and slammed him for his “anti-national” comments. BJP also demanded an apology from Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who was in Karnataka recently for his “Bharat Jodo Yatra”.

“They make statements with half-knowledge to appease voters and dream to get minority votes. This is anti-national and everyone should condemn it. Is Rahul Gandhi and Siddaramaiah’s silence endorsing Satish Jarkiholi’s statements,” said Chief Minister Bommai.

The Congress distanced itself from its party leader’s comments and said his views were his own.

“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. The statement attributed to Satish Jarkiholi is deeply unfortunate and deserves to be rejected. We condemn it unequivocally,” tweeted Congress spokesperson and Karnataka in-charge Randeep Surjewala.

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