Bengaluru: Karnataka Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao has strongly countered the BJP’s accusations, declaring that “to be a Hindu, one does not need to be a BJP member.” Speaking to the media at Vikas Soudha, the minister reaffirmed that the Congress party fully supports the protection of Dharmasthala and has no reason to backtrack on the issue.
Gundu Rao accused the BJP of deliberately branding Congress as “anti-Hindu” for political mileage. He reminded that the Soujanya case had taken place under BJP’s rule, questioning their credibility. “Those who tried to defame Dharmasthala with malicious intent will not succeed. The SIT investigation will bring out the truth,” he said.
The minister clarified that the SIT report is awaited and that the forensic analysis of items recovered after an anonymous complaint is ongoing. “BJP is exploiting the issue for politics. Congress has never politicized Dharmasthala,” Gundu Rao asserted.
Rejecting BJP’s attempts to monopolize Hindu identity, he added: “In Congress, we are all Hindus. Even our state president D.K. Shivakumar is a staunch Hindu. To be Hindu, one does not need a BJP membership.”
On the controversy over Banū Mushtaq’s selection to inaugurate this year’s Mysuru Dasara, Gundu Rao criticized the BJP’s objections. “What problem do they have with Banū Mushtaq? She is a woman from our state, an international award winner. The same BJP leaders who supported Nissar Ahmed in the past are now opposing Banū Mushtaq, which only exposes their narrow-mindedness,” he said.
