New Delhi: The row over the "Chaddi" campaign in Karnataka has escalated further with a Congress MLA saying that the "chaddis" being sent by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will go to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The warning came days after the ruling party in Karnataka launched a new campaign to collect "chaddis" and send them to the residence of Congress leader Siddaramaiah over his remarks on the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) uniform of khaki shorts.
"NSUI members burnt RSS Chaddis, don't know why BJP got angry over this. That's why BJP is collecting all used chaddis and sending those chaddis to KPCC (Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee) office. I want to tell BJP members that they can send as many chaddis as they can, all chaddis are being sent to Narendra Modi by the KPCC. Your chaddis will be given back to you," Priyank Kharge, Congress' MLA from the Chittapur Assembly Constituency in Kalaburagi District, was quoted as saying by an English news website.
The controversy, notably, began with Congress leader and former Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's call to burn khaki shorts worn by RSS workers after cases against 15 workers of Congress' student wing, the NSUI, who were protesting against the revision of syllabus by burning khaki shorts in front of state Education Minister BC Nagesh`s residence.
BJP's SC Morcha state President and MLC Chalawadi Narayanaswamy announced that he would personally go to Siddaramaiah`s residence with office-bearers of the party and handover collected `chaddis` to him. BJP and RSS workers from Mysuru and Chikkamagalur districts also sent chaddis to Congress' office and Siddaramaiah's residence.
"Why national flag was not hoisted in the RSS office for 52 years? What opinion did Hedgewar have over the national flag? Why did RSS kill Mahatma Gandhi? Who gave the title Veer to Savarkar? All these questions must be answered in the RSS textbook," Kharge said.
Earlier last week, Siddaramiah also said that the party will take their protest to the streets if the Karnataka government does not roll back revised school textbooks, which he said has hurt the sentiments of Kannadigas.
"The textbook has been revised by Rohith Chakrathirtha (head of the textbook revision committee), who is an orthodox RSS man. I hope the government will consider revising it, if not, we will go to the streets," Siddaramaiah said.
After disbanding the state textbook review committee, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai had earlier ruled out forming a new panel and defended the inclusion of a chapter on RSS founder KB Hedgewar.
(With agency inputs)
