On Thursday, May 4, DK Shivakumar, the head of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) paid a visit to Goddess Chamundeshwari temple in Mysuru to seek the blessing of Lord Hanuman. Speaking to the media after that, he vowed to build Hanuman temples in each Taluka of Karnataka if his party is elected to power in the state.
#BREAKING
— TIMES NOW (@TimesNow) May 4, 2023
KPCC chief #DKShivakumar promises to build & refurbish Hanuman Temples across Karnataka under a specialised programme, in each & every district, if Congress is voted into power.@dpkBopanna dissects the promises made on the same ahead of the Assembly polls – Watch. pic.twitter.com/s8ZLyXHlmP
The extensive backlash the Congress is facing for promising to outlaw the Hindu organisation Bajrang Dal in its election manifesto for Karnataka is unsettling the party’s leaders, just before the crucial Assembly elections in the state.
While other party bigwigs like Karnataka Congress leader and former chief minister M. Veerappa Moily are already attempting damage control, DK Shivakumar has tried to play the “soft Hindutva” card, which his party typically employs before every major election.
It is worth noting here that the day Congress released its Karnataka poll manifesto, PM Modi criticised the grand old party for pledging to ban the Hindu outfit Bajrang Dal and equating it to the banned Islamist terrorist organisation Popular Front of India (PFI). He said that the party is trying to lock up those who revere Lord Hanuman, in an obvious reference to members of the Bajrang Dal.
Now, only two days later, the party’s senior leader DK Shivakumar has not only embarked on a visit to a Hanuman Temple but also pledged to build Hanuman Temples in each and every district of the state.
Sharing a picture of himself bowing before Lord Hanuman at the Chamundeshwari temple in Mysuru DK Shivakumar captioned his tweet in Kannada which roughly translates to, “Performed puja for Lord Hanuman after mother Chamundeshwari’s darshan in Mysuru. Hanuman means power, and Hanuman means peace.”
ಮೈಸೂರಿನ ಚಾಮುಂಡೇಶ್ವರಿ ದೇವಸ್ಥಾನದಲ್ಲಿ ತಾಯಿಯ ದರ್ಶನ ಪಡೆದು ರಾಮಭಕ್ತ ಹನುಮನಿಗೆ ಪೂಜೆ ಸಲ್ಲಿಸಿದೆ.
— DK Shivakumar (@DKShivakumar) May 4, 2023
ಹನುಮನೆಂದರೆ ಶಕ್ತಿ, ಹನುಮನೆಂದರೆ ಶಾಂತಿ, ಹನುಮನೆಂದರೆ ಜಗವ ಕಾಯೋ ಕಾಂತಿ. pic.twitter.com/NTYLdVpLON
He told the media there that the Congress will build Anjaneya temples across the state if voted to power. “We will establish a special board to oversee the development of Anjanadri Hill and ensure its preservation. Our party will also prioritize the construction of new Anjaneya temples in various parts of the state, reflecting our commitment to honouring the rich cultural heritage of Karnataka,” he said.
“Additionally, we will organize specific programs aimed at educating the youth about the principles and values embodied by Lord Anjaneya,” the KPCC president added.
Shivakumar also raised questions over why Anjaneya temples were not built and why Anjanadri Hill was not developed as a tourist spot. He asked, “How many Anjaneya temples did the BJP government build? Their record on the matter remains unclear and we firmly believe that the promotion of Anjaneya’s legacy is essential for the spiritual and cultural upliftment of the state. Therefore, if elected, the Congress party will hold separate programs in the name of Anjaneya in each taluk to spread awareness about his teachings and inspire more people to follow his path.
Congress tries to do damage control after backlash over Karnataka poll promise
Earlier, Karnataka Congress leader and former chief minister M. Veerappa Moily in an apparent damage control move said that it is not possible for the state government to ban Bajrang Dal, adding that there is no proposal to ban the group.
“We have PFI and Bajrang Dal mentioned in our (Congress) manifesto and included all radical outfits. However, banning an outfit is not possible for the state government as it is the central government’s jurisdiction. So a ban on Bajrang Dal by the Karnataka government is not possible. DK Shivakumar will come up with more clarity on this,” Moily said while addressing the media in Udupi.
The former Karnataka CM also said that the Congress promised action against outfits like Bajrang Dal in the manifesto in the backdrop of the recent Supreme Court observation against hate politics.
Interestingly, the Congress party invited severe backlash by promising to “ban organisations like Bajrang Dal” in its election manifesto for Karnataka.
While Congress says that it will act against organizations spreading hatred, the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI)—the political wing of the now-banned PFI announced on Wednesday that it will be contesting only 16 Assembly seats in the upcoming Karnataka elections in a bid to help Congress defeat the BJP. Initially, the SDPI had said that it will be contesting on 100 seats.
