DK Shivakumar singing RSS anthem in assembly sparks discord within Karnataka Congress
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The decision of Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister and State Congress President D.K. Shivakumar to sing the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) anthem in the state Assembly during the Monsoon session has triggered a fresh controversy within the ruling Congress.
Senior Congress leader and MLC B.K. Hariprasad on Monday demanded that Shivakumar issue an apology for what he termed an inappropriate act.
Speaking to reporters in Delhi, Hariprasad said, “He (Deputy CM Shivakumar) should apologise. The BJP will naturally welcome such developments. The RSS has been banned three times in the country. If he recited the song as Deputy Chief Minister, there would be no objection… But he cannot recite the RSS anthem as the State Congress President. In that case, he should apologise.”
Hariprasad also linked the controversy to history, saying, “RSS members were responsible for the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi. Against that backdrop, Shivakumar must apologise. I don’t know to whom the message of singing the RSS anthem is directed… by singing the anthem of an organisation that killed Mahatma Gandhi, the message could reach anyone.”
Former Minister and Congress MLA K.N. Rajanna, who was recently removed from his post, echoed the criticism, saying Shivakumar operates under “different rules” within the party. “He can sing the RSS anthem, participate in an event with Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and even attend the Maha Kumbh Mela, even if it goes against the party’s interests,” Rajanna remarked.
However, Congress MLA H.D. Ranganath, a close aide of Shivakumar, came to his defense.
He described the matter as a “closed chapter”* and argued that the lyrics carried no political connotation. “After Shivakumar sang it in the Assembly’s Monsoon session, I checked the meaning and found that it is simply about saluting the land that gave you birth. There is nothing wrong here. Our party is secular, but good things must be recognised. The ideologies of the Congress and the RSS will never align,” Ranganath said.
The BJP, meanwhile, seized on the issue, with Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council, Chalavadi Narayanaswamy, suggesting Shivakumar’s gesture reflected a change of heart. “Some people say they should not even feel the ‘air’ of the Sangh. But since the Sangh is spread across the nation, if one wishes to avoid its air, they would have to leave the country,” he said.
He further challenged the Congress to act consistently: “You brand others as ‘Manuvadis’, but you have filled your own homes with them. Stop your hypocritical talk. Everyone is free to sing the RSS anthem. Can you stop your own party leaders, D.K. Shivakumar and the Kunigal MLA H.D. Ranganath, from singing it?”
When asked about the controversy, Karnataka Home Minister G. Parameshwara declined to comment.