Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar Friday issued a clarification after a video of him singing the official anthem of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) went viral on social media platforms.
Shivakumar said he had done his research on Communist parties, the JD(S), the BJP, and the RSS. “We have to learn good qualities from everyone,” he added.
He maintained that he was “a born Congressman” and lauded RSS for building institutes in Karnataka at taluk centres. “They are trying to preach to children. As a leader, I should know who my friends and opponents are. Politically, we have differences,” he said.
The viral clip is from the time when Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara was responding to a discussion on the stampede at M Chinnaswamy Stadium. As part of a banter, Leader of Opposition R Ashok reminded Shivakumar that he had worn the RSS uniform in the past.
The deputy CM responded by reciting a few lines of ‘Namaste Sada Vatsale’. This was before he explained why he participated in the celebrations by Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) even after the stampede occurred.
The clip triggered a lot of chatter on social media platforms, with posts calling for the ouster of Shivakumar from the Congress. Activist Vinay Sreenivas wrote on X that if Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was serious about fighting the RSS, he should “throw these people out or quit himself and build a new party.”
Shivakumar, in the past, too, has spoken about his association with the right-wing group during his formative years in Bengaluru.
His recital came at a time when a section of Congress leaders were growing averse to the “soft-Hindutva” practised by some party leaders. “While Rahul Gandhi makes no qualms about targeting RSS as an ideological opponent, some of our leaders are practicing a softer version of Hindutva. This is a major headache for the party,” a senior minister in the Siddaramaiah Cabinet had said.
