Satish Jarkiholi in soup for ‘Hindu is dirty word’ remark

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: Former minister and Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) working president Satish Jarkiholi has stoked a controversy saying that the word Hindu was of foreign origin and its meaning was “dirty” even as his own partymen and the ruling BJP alike condemned it.

Jarkiholi made the comments in Hindi in the largely Marathi-speaking Nipani town in Belagavi district on Sunday. The talk was organised by the organisation ‘Manav Bandhutva Vedike.’ The speech started the doing the rounds on social media and messaging apps on Monday.

“Where did the word Hindu come from? Is it ours? It is Persian. Where is Persia? Iran, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan. What is India’s relationship with them? How is Hindu your word then? There should be a discussion on this.

Look it up on WhatsApp and Wikipedia to know where this Persian word came from. It isn’t yours. If you learn its meaning, then you would feel ashamed. The meaning of the word Hindu is dirty,” Jarkiholi said in the now widely shared video.

All India Congress Committee (AICC) General Secretary and the party’s Karnataka in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala said the party disowned the comment and that it was insulting to Hinduism. State Higher Education Minister CN Ashwath Narayan pitched in with comments of his own, claiming Jarkiholi’s statement created confusion.

“They should not be creating confusion. Respect the sentiments, respect the culture instead of being critical.''