A statement made by KPCC working president Satish Jarkiholi at the rally of Manava Bandhutva Vedike (MBV), in Nippani of Belagavi district on Sunday, triggered a controversy resulting in the party national general secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala himself “condemning” it and distancing the party from Mr. Jarkiholi’s remarks.
Speaking in Hindi and Marathi, Mr. Jarkiholi said that the term Hindu did not originate in India. “Where did the term Hindu come from? Is it our own? No. It is of Persian origin. Where is that? It refers to countries like Iran, Iraq, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. What is the relation between India and such countries? How can it be an Indian term? There needs to be a debate on this. Please refer to sites like Wikipedia. If it is not an Indian term, why are some people taking it so seriously? If you understand its original meaning, you will be ashamed of yourself. The original meaning of the term is very dirty and insulting,” he said.
He said that he was not conjuring up the meaning of the term, but was only quoting from the writing of a Swami. “Why are you forcing upon us a term that did not originate in India?,” he asked.
MBV, a social organisation aimed at spreading the ideologies of Buddha, Basavanna and Ambedkar, launched a month-long programme to create awareness about these ideologies. Mr. Jarkiholi, MBV founder, was speaking at the inaugural ceremony.
Video clips of his speech went viral on social media by Monday and some people even aired criticism at his party for his remarks.
The Congress was quick to distance itself from his statement and condemned it. “Hinduism is a way of life and a civilisational reality. Congress built our nation to respect every religion, belief and faith. This is the essence of India. The statement attributed to Mr. Jarkiholi is deeply unfortunate and deserves to be rejected. We condemn it unequivocally,” said Mr. Surjewala.
Mr. Jarkiholi too issued a clarification later, saying he did not mean to insult the faith. “I was only pointing out the Persian origin of the term Hindu and about various meanings of the term as found in some texts,” he said.
He said that he had made a statement based on articles in Wikipedia and other websites and books and that it was not his personal opinion.
