Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday reacted sharply to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s statement in Bengaluru on Sunday in a series of three tweets. Mr. Adityanath had said that Mr. Siddaramaiah should prove that he is a Hindu by banning cow slaughter and beef eating.
“Who are these people to question our food habits? Many among Hindus consume beef. I don’t eat beef because I don’t like it. But if I want to, I will. Who are they to stop me?” he questioned. “I have reared cows and cleaned cowsheds. Has Yogi Adityanath, who lectures on cow protection, done that? What moral right does he have to talk of cow protection?” he asked.
Responding to the jibes, Mr. Siddaramaiah tweeted: “Ours is the Hindutva of Swami Vivekananda tradition and not the Hindutva of Ghodse tradition. Before lecturing us, let Mr. Adityanath read up on what Swami Vivekananda has said about it (beef eating).”
In another tweet, taking on the BJP, he said those who are killed in communal clashes are “innocent children” belonging to the backward classes and Dalit communities. “While these children are going to jail, the children of those who give them weapons are becoming doctors and engineers.” He went on to say that communalism will end only when this is understood.
