Protest in Belagavi against Congress MLA Satish Jarkiholi over remarks on origin of ‘Hindu’ word

Rajya Sabha member Iranna Kadadi alleges that the Congress is trying to divide Hindus and is trying to create differences among various castes

BJP supporters organised a rally in Belagavi on November 9 to protest against the alleged defamatory terms used by Congress MLA Satish Jarkiholi to describe the origins of the term ‘Hindu’.

Rajya Sabha member Iranna Kadadi, MLAs Abhay Patil, Mahantesh Dodagoudar, former MLA Sanjay Patil, and their supporters gathered at the Rani Channamma Circle before walking to the Deputy Commissioner’s office holding banners and placards. They shouted slogans against Satish Jarkiholi and the Congress. They burnt an effigy of Satish Jarkiholi.

Abhay Patil said that the Congress should apologise for the statement. “The whole society is opposing Satish Jarkiholi’s statement. While some Congress leaders are organising rallies for Bharat Jodo, Satish Jarkiholi is doing the opposite. He is trying to start a ‘Bharat Todo’ movement,” he said.

“Over the centuries, all the great saints and reformers of Hinduism have worked to create awareness about the faith. None of them have resorted to insulting Hinduism, as Satish Jarkiholi has done. He keeps saying he got the details of the origin of the term Hindu from Wikipedia and Google. If you search for Satish Jarkiholi on Wikipedia and Google, we learn that he is a Hindu belonging to Valmiki community. He should realise that saint Valmiki, who wrote the Ramayana, never insulted Hindus,” Abhay Patil said.

Mr. Kadadi said that the Congress is trying to divide Hindus and is trying to create differences among various castes. “Satish Jarkiholi’s statement should not be seen in isolation. It is part of a systematic strategy of the Congress to insult Hinduism. While AICC leaders are trying to do that at the national level, Satish Jarkiholi is trying to do it in Karnataka,” he claimed.