Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah triggered a heated political debate with his recent remarks on religious conversions, stating, “If there was equality in our Hindu community, then why would anyone convert?”
Speaking on social inequalities and historical practices, Siddaramaiah added, “If there was equality, why did untouchability come into existence? Did we create untouchability? There can be inequalities in Islam, Christianity, or any religion. Neither we nor the BJP asked anyone to convert, but people do convert, and it is their right.”
The comments immediately drew sharp criticism from political opponents. BJP Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Assembly R Ashoka targeted Siddaramaiah for focusing solely on Hinduism. “When it comes to equality, you always target Hinduism, don’t you, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah? Do you have the courage to question Muslims on equality?” Ashoka questioned practices within Islam, citing the Pahalgam terror attack, restrictions on women in mosques, opposition to banning triple talaq, and Quranic references to non-Muslims.
Ashoka emphasized the self-correcting nature of Hindu society: “Yes, caste system is a curse within Hindu society, this is a fact. But many great reformers have taken birth to correct and transform Hindu society with time. The Hindu community has the strength to self-correct and change. From Basavanna to Swami Vivekananda, from Dr BR Ambedkar to the present, countless reformers have worked, and continue to work, towards improving Hindu society. But in Islam, the deep-rooted fundamentalism and jihadi mindset have never been questioned or corrected. Even if reformers have emerged, Muslims have never accepted such change.”
He further argued that Muslims historically looked up to rulers like Aurangzeb and Tipu Sultan, rather than reformers such as Saint Shishunala Sharif or Dr Abdul Kalam, urging the Chief Minister to avoid what he described as a leftist perspective that demeans Sanatana Dharma and Hindus, and to speak as a responsible leader.
Adding to the criticism, Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council Chalavadi Narayanswamy accused Siddaramaiah of trying to divide people based on caste and religion. “Now the caste survey has options such as Dalit Christian, Lingayat Christian, Vokkaliga Christian. This is nonsense, and he has done this to please Sonia Gandhi,” Narayanswamy said.
Former Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai also weighed in, stating, “Equality doesn’t come from religion, but from love, affection, and honour. No religion can truly bring equality.” Bommai criticised the caste survey, calling it unconstitutional: “Only the Government of India has that authority. They can do surveys, but not a census.”
Bommai further warned of political motives behind the initiative: “If a column is added for converted Christians, then there should also be columns for converted Hindus and Muslims. It is illegal to add a ‘conversion’ column. There already exists an ‘Others’ column which even includes ‘Nastik’ (atheists).”
