Karnataka Congress’s double standards clearly stand exposed after its Bengaluru Central Lok Sabha candidate Rizwan Arshad was seen approaching Vokkaliga community seer Nirmalanandanatha Swamy and later held pooja at a Ganesha temple. Senior Congress leaders like Mallikarjun Kharge, Siddaramaiah all have always ridiculed the believers of temple visits and about Hindu religious practices, but now their own candidate is seen doing temple and mutt run
Bengaluru: Call it the fear of losing or to consolidate Hindu vote, the Karnataka Congress's double standards stand exposed after its Muslim candidate from Bengaluru Central Lok Sabha seat, Rizwan Arshad was seen paying obeisance to Vokkaliga seer Nirmalanandanatha Swamy and later was taken by local leaders to a Ganesha temple in Bengaluru.
While Karnataka’s senior Congress leaders like Mallikarjun Kharge and former chief minister Siddaramaiah do not believe in Hindu religious practices, it is surprising to see a Muslim candidate making visits to temple and mutt.
Speaking to MyNation, former mayor and in-charge of the Congress in Bengaluru’s Rajajinagar Assembly segment, G Padmavathi said there was nothing wrong in Arshad visiting temple and mutt to seek blessings.
It was reported that Kharge, an atheist and now a Buddhist, is said to have visited a temple in Gulbarga after filing his nomination papers. It is this act of sudden change among the Congress leaders during elections that attract criticism from all quarters and also from the BJP.
"The BJP was running behind Lord Rama in 2014 and came to power by making hallow promises and in this 2019 election they are using 'army jawan' sentiments. It was me who took the initiative to take Arshad to the temple. This has nothing to do with appeasing Hindus or the fear of losing. This is to take every community into confidence," Padmavathi said.
Lashing out at the move by the Congress, the BJP says that visit to temples, mutts by Congress leaders, is only a norm during elections.
"The Congress does not believe in divine forces. All they know and did was to appease the minorities and leave them at the same position after the elections. When people did not believe the Congress party's Hindu leader, they will obviously doubt Bengaluru Central’s Muslim candidate Rizwan Arshad's mutt and temple run," said BJP’s spokesperson S Prakash.
A Muslim cleric said it is a good move in politics.
While the BJP and few orthodox Muslims may raise objections and doubt Arshad's temple and mutt visit, but the Muslim cleric Maqsood Imran Rashadi feels a candidate should not restrict to any particular community.
"He is a candidate not only for the Muslims but for all sections of the society. He should not only just visit them for votes but he should be with them, listen to their problems and work for every community in the constituency," said Rashadi.
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