Bengaluru: Union minister Pralhad Joshi on Sunday mounted a sharp counterattack on former chief minister Siddaramaiah over his remarks that the RSS and BJP were seeking to turn India into a Hindu Rashtra.
Speaking to reporters in Hubballi, Joshi said neither the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh nor the Bharatiya Janata Party was attempting to change the character of the nation. “This country is already a Hindu Rashtra. Siddaramaiah does not seem to understand this,” he said.
Joshi argued that India’s democratic framework had survived because of its Hindu majority ethos. “If this country were not a Hindu Rashtra, democracy would not have endured here. We have examples in our neighbourhood — countries like Pakistan and Bangladesh. Without a Hindu majority, there would be no democracy and no right to vote,” he claimed.
Taking a further swipe at Siddaramaiah, the Union minister said the Congress leader should refrain from what he termed “politics of convenience”, adding that personal and family considerations should not be dragged into public discourse.
