‘Proudly associate myself with RSS’: Amid ‘puppet’ barbs, Karnataka CM Bommai hits back at Opposition

The Karnataka CM does not have origins in the RSS and joined the BJP only in 2008 after being associated with socialist movements and the Janata Dal party like his father, the former chief minister of Karnataka S R Bommai.

Bommai has come under attack from the Opposition for trying to prove that he is aligned with RSS thoughts and principles, more than BJP leaders of long-standing.

“The Congress is indulging in a slander campaign against RSS. But the people know everything about RSS,” Bommai said a few weeks ago.

“RSS is a patriotic, nationalist organisation engaged in social service. RSS activists were at the forefront in rescuing people during calamities. RSS has done commendable work in many states. Congress party and leader of the Opposition Siddaramaiah are known to be RSS baiters. Congress has lost power and its base in many states due to this stand. It will repeat in Karnataka too,” Bommai has stated in the past.

In May this year, a former minister and Congress leader H C Mahadevappa claimed that Bommai had become subservient to the BJP’s ideological fount, the RSS, unlike the former BJP chief minister of the state B S Yediyurappa. “The BJP and RSS which mercilessly removed Yediyurappa from the CM’s post for not bowing to communal politics have managed to put Bommai completely in the service of the RSS. By handing over his brain and senses, Bommai has become subservient to the RSS,” Mahadevappa, a former Janata Dal and Congress minister stated on social media in May.

Bommai, who completed a year in office as Karnataka chief minister on July 28, has been accused by the opposition Congress and JDS parties of turning a blind eye to the communal agenda of right-wing groups in his effort to remain entrenched as CM.

“Our chief minister is a puppet of some organisations. He is running the government on their orders. To safeguard his seat, he is listening to whatever they say,” former chief minister and leader of the Janata Dal (Secular) party H D Kumaraswamy said recently.

“In my opinion, this government is not independent. There is some remote control that is in operation for running the government. He does not have the strength to run the government. RSS has the remote. The government is not being run to win the appreciation of the people of the state but it is being run to impress the Sangh Parivar,” he said.