Siddaramaiah defends ‘RSS follows Taliban culture’ statement
Former CM and Leader of Opposition Siddaramaiah defended his statement that the RSS follows Taliban culture. “Yes. I made the statement and I stand by it. RSS does not believe in democratic values. Its leaders and members have no faith in human values. They act like demons while enforcing their communal, divisive ideology. I strongly believe that those who don’t have faith in in democratic values or in a parliamentary democracy or don’t treat other human beings as equals are Talibanis. That is why I described the RSS as Talibanis,” the Congress leader told journalists in Badami in Bagalkot district on September 28.
“BJP leaders have no humanity. Do they have any faith in democratic systems or in the Indian Constitution? Are they running the governments in the Centre or the State as per the values enshrined in the Constitution? Dr. Ambedkar made promises like liberty of thought and expression, and upliftment of the deprived classes. Is the BJP trying to fulfil those promises? The answer to all these questions is ‘No’. That is why I describe them as Talibani-minded and the descendants of Hitler.”
Reacting to BJP MLA C.T. Ravi saying that leaders like Siddaramaiah would be left hanging if not for RSS, the former chief minister said RSS had no role in the freedom movement.
“Was RSS engaged in the freedom struggle? Did RSS leaders like Golwalkar participate in the freedom movement? Did Savarkar lead the freedom movement? No. We got freedom due to the selfless and dedicated agitation by leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Gopalkrishna Gokhale, Lala Lajpat Rai, Jawaharlal Nehru and others. Leaders like C.T. Ravi have no knowledge about Indian history. He does not know the names of the people who laid their lives for the country. I don’t have to learn lessons of patriotism or history from leaders like him.
“It was Mr. Gokhale who brought Gandhiji from South Africa. RSS leaders did not invite him to India. No RSS leader had died during the Indian freedom movement. Patriotism is not about making empty speeches. It is about action and a sense of sacrifice. We should not expect that from BJP leaders,” he said.
To a query, he said that BJP leaders tend to target him and attack him verbally, as they know that he is a threat to their ideology.
“I am not associated with the convention of backward classes to be held in Davanagere. It is not a AHINDA event. I don’t know who is organising it or who is scheduled to address the event,” he said.
Later, he inaugurated several development programmes in Badami, the constituency he represents in the Karnataka Assembly.
