Now, Siddaramaiah sparks off row: ‘Didn’t enter temple when asked to take off shirt’

With the budding INDIA alliance already in the eye of a storm over Udhayanidhi Stalin’s Sanatana Dharma remark, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has sparked off another controversy with his remark over not entering a Hindu temple upon being asked to take off his shirt.

The veteran Congress leader, speaking at an event to celebrate the 169th birth anniversary of social reformer Narayana Guru, recalled how he was once asked to take off his shirt before entering a temple in Kerala. He said it was an “inhuman practice” and an “insult to God”.

“They asked me to remove my shirt before entering the temple. I told them I would not enter and pray from outside. They did not ask everyone to remove their shirts — just a few. This practice is inhuman… Everyone is equal before God,” Siddaramaiah said.

Men are asked to remove their upper body garments in several South Indian temples. They are allowed to have an ‘angavastra’, which is a kind of shawl they can put over their shoulder. Not only Kerala, but several temples in states like Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh also follow the practice.

The anti-Hindu stamp

The BJP, which was quick to clamp the “anti-Hindu” tag on the INDIA bloc because of DMK leader Udhayanidhi’s Sanatana remark, promptly seized the opportunity to add Siddaramaiah’s example to the list as well.

PC Mohan, BJP’s Bengaluru Central MP, claimed the Congress has always been “anti-Hindu” and its leaders make such statements “to please a particular community”.

“When you go to Kerala temples, you are not supposed to wear shirts. It has been the norm for a thousand years, and we are all following it. Some temples restrict jeans and shorts. Earlier, we would all wear dhoti. There should be some dress code,” he added.

In 2017, too, when Siddaramiah was the Karnataka chief minister, the BJP had sparked off a debate over his eating fish and chicken before visiting a temple.