K'taka Congress leader says CM Siddaramaiah is 'Lord Ram for us'

Chitradurga (Karnataka), Jan 1: Senior Congress leader H. Anjaneya stirred a controversy here on Monday after he said that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah "is Lord Ram for us".

Anjaneya, a former minister and close associate of Siddaramaiah, made the remarks while responding to a reporter's question on Siddaramaiah "not being invited" to the inauguration ceremony of the Ram temple in Ayodhya.

"Not inviting him to the inauguration ceremony in Ayodhya is a good development. CM Siddaramaiah himself is Lord Ram. Why should he worship Ram in Ayodhya?" he told reporters.

"Siddaramaiah will worship Lord Ram in the temple at his native village Siddaramanahundi. In Ayodhya, there is BJP's Lord Ram. They have invited their men to recite bhajans. I am Anjaneya (a name given to Lord Hanuman), we are all devotees of Lord Ram," he said.

"People from our community name themselves as Ram, Hanuman. These gods hail from our communities. BJP adopts divide and rule policy between religions. They have illusion of getting votes by giving statements against a religion," the Congress leader, who hails from the Dalit community, said.

"We are all Hindus. BJP does not own the Hindu religion. Have they given solution for discrimination and exploitation?," he said.

"The construction of temples should stop and the focus must be on building houses and healthy mindsets. People are living in deplorable conditions. Build houses for them and name them Ram Mandirs. Lord Ram will bless you. Lord Ram should not be used for votes," he added.