After DMK’s Udhaynidhi Stalin, another politician of the I.N.D.I. alliance made a controversial remark on Hinduism. Karnataka Home Minister Parameshwara recently questioned the origins of Hinduism, asserting that nobody knows when it originated in the country.
“There are many religions born. Hindu dharma – When was it born? What are its origins, has remained a question mark. It still has not been answered. Buddhism was born in India. Jainism was born in India. Islam and Christianity came from abroad. The sum up of all these (religions) is betterment of society,” Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara said at an event in Tumakuru.
After Udhayanidhi Stalin's remarks on Sanatan Dharma, Karnataka HM G. Parameshwara has made a statement saying what the Hindu Dharma's origins are.
— TIMES NOW (@TimesNow) September 6, 2023
He has said that the history of the Hindu faith is not recorded: @KeypadGuerilla shares more details.@Swatij14 | @anchoramitaw pic.twitter.com/Hyy8LfFcOd
Parameshwara’s controversial remarks elicited a sharp reaction from the BJP, which attacked the Congress party for its historical contempt towards Hinduism. “Congress party is always busy making derogatory comments against the majority community,” S Prakash, Joint Spokesperson of Karnataka BJP, said. The VHP, too, expressed its disapproval of Parameshwara’s remarks against Hinduism. Vinod Bansal, a VHP leader, said, “It is surprising that a person with the name Parameshwara is questioning the origins of Hinduism.”
Udhaynidhi Stalin says ‘Sanatan Dharma needs to be eradicated’
On Saturday (September 2), the Minister for Youth Welfare and Sports Development of Tamil Nadu, Udhaynidhi Stalin, said, “Mosquitoes, dengue, flu, malaria, corona – we should not oppose these things. They’ve to be eradicated completely.”
“The same is the case with Santanam (Hinduism). Our first work should be to abolish/eradicate Sanatanam instead of opposing it. So, my appreciation to you all for giving an apt title to the meeting,” he further added.
Congress questioned the existence of Lord Rama
This is not the first time that Congress has raised aspersions on Hinduism and its concepts. In 2007, an affidavit filed by the Congress-led government read, “Valmiki Ramayana and Ramcharitmanas admittedly form an important part of ancient Indian literature, but these cannot be said to be historical records to incontrovertibly prove the existence of the characters and occurrences of events depicted therein.” The affidavit was filed to register the UPA government’s opposition to the demand to scrap the Sethusamudram project as it would damage the Ram Setu.
Senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal fought the Ram Janmabhoomi case for the Sunni Waqf Board opposing the building of a magnificent Ram temple at the disputed site in Ayodhya. He also employed dilatory tactics and asked the apex court to delay the decision in the Ram Janmabhoomi case till the 2019 elections. Another eminent Congress leader Shashi Tharoor had earlier claimed that no ‘good Hindu’ would want a Ram Mandir at the Babri site. Tharoor urged that one should have the Ram Mandir in one’s heart.