GOKARNA/HASSAN: Under attack for his alleged anti-Brahmin remarks, former CM and JDS leader HD Kumaraswamy claimed on Wednesday that his statement was not against any community. Speaking after offering puja at Mahabaleshwar Temple at Gokarna in Uttara Kannada district, Kumaraswamy said, “We are the protectors of Hindu religion.
It was HD Deve Gowda who made Ramakrishna Hegde (a Brahmin) a CM. What are people who came to power in the name of Hindutva doing? I granted them land for the Brahman Community hall when I was the CM. I constituted the Brahmin Development Authority,” he said.
Kumaraswamy received flak from various quarters for his alleged remarks when he reportedly said, “RSS is thinking of making Pralhad Joshi the next CM after the elections. And the reason for that is, Joshi is not from the Brahmin community that belongs to South Karnataka. He belongs to the sect that broke the statues of God in Sringeri Mutt”.
Meanwhile, Congress MP from Bengluru Rural MP DK Suresh condemned the alleged remarks of HDK against Brahmins. Addressing a Congress workers’ rally at Holenarasipur in Hassan, he said that cutting across caste and party lines, any MLA can become the CM if he or she has the majority. Despite being aware of this, JDS leader’s remarks have hurt sentiments of a particular community.