BJP using 'Hindu asthra' to win elections, says Siddaramaiah

Udupi: Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly S Siddaramiah has accused the government of using Bhagavad Gita as a 'weapon' to get its religious stamp on the State.

Describing the move as a "Hindu asthra", he said the government must also start teaching Bible and Quran to all school children. He warned against using religion as a foundation for discrimination.

In his characteristic rustic rhetoric to a question raised by the journalists on the sidelines of a function in Udupi on Saturday, the former chief minister said the BJP was using religion-based issues like the hijab and the Bhagavad Gita as "Hindu Asthra" to win the upcoming State Assembly elections. "It would be better if the BJP focuses on other issues in order to win the election. The Congress will seek votes based on the work it has done, not on religious sentiments," he said.

Siddaramaiah also objected to the Kaup Hosa Marigudi temple authority's decision on Friday not to allot shops/stalls to Muslims at the Suggi Maari Pooja, an annual fair being held on March 22 and 23.

The veteran Congress leader said discrimination on the basis of religion was illegal and demanded that the government take appropriate legal action.