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The Rural Development Minister’s statement came during a discussion in the legislative Assembly, when the Speaker Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri used the term ”Our RSS” and that a day would come when opposition legislators would also say the same, to which Congress legislators expressed reservation.
It all started when Leader of Opposition and former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah made a reference to the saffron organisation, while speaking about his personal equations with some BJP leaders and Ministers.
”Personal relations are important, then comes party differences- BJP, RSS, Congress and others,” the Congress leader said To this the Speaker in a lighter note asked Siddaramaiah, ”why are you feeling troubled about our RSS?” As Siddaramaiah was clarifying that he was not speaking by attaching any feelings, Congress MLA Zameer Ahmed Khan asked, ”You (Speaker) are saying-‘Our RSS’- sitting on that chair?” To this Kageri responded by saying, ”what else, if not our RSS? Yes….it is Our RSS. RSS is ours….Zameer, I’m telling you one thing, if not today some day in the future, in our country, even you will have to say- Our RSS- definitely.” To this, some Congress legislators including Khan said, that day would never come and they would never say it.
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Intervening, Revenue Minister R Ashoka said, RSS has become ”Sarva Vyapi and Sarva Sparshi” (ubiquitous and omnipresent). ”Our country’s President, Vice President, Prime Minister, Chief Minister are all from RSS, every one has to accept it now….it is our good fortune,” he pointed out, amidst some Congress legislators calling it country’s ”misfortune”.
Minister Eshwarappa said, ”All Muslims and Christians in the country, if not today, some day in the future, will become (associate themselves with) RSS. There is no doubt about it.” This statement of the Minister elicited sharp reaction from some Congress legislators.
Taking objection to the Speaker’s statement associating himself with RSS, Congress MLA Priyank Kharge, pointing out that he had spoken from the Chair about constitutional values during a debate on constitution last year said, ”you had then claimed you are for constitution, now you are saying that you are in favour of RSS.” As he claimed that RSS during protest had burnt the constitution at the Ramlila Maidan in the past, as they wanted ‘Manusmṛiti’, the Speaker and BJP members took strong objection to it and asked him not to speak ”unwanted wrong things.” ”This is not right……if you want to do politics, do it outside,” the Speaker told Kharge.