Karnataka CM says BJP, RSS are Hindutva terrorists after Amit Shah calls his government anti-Hindu

The verbal war between the Congress and BJP before the Karnataka assembly elections continued Thursday with chief minister Siddaramaiah saying the "BJP and RSS people are Hindutva terrorists".

Siddaramaiah had been trying to clarify his statements from yesterday when he had said the BJP and RSS have terrorists within their ranks.Speaking to the media, Siddaramaiah said, "What I had said was that BJP and RSS people are Hindutva terrorists."

An earlier salvo had been fired by BJP President Amit Shah who had said on Wednesday that the Karnataka government was anti-Hindu and that it was guilty of vote-bank politics.

Congress leader KC Venugopal also targeted the BJP and the RSS, calling their politics "divisive". He added that the state Congress government would not tolerate "communal elements".

"BJP, RSS needs to stop its divisive politics, Congress Karnataka government will not tolerate communalelements be it any organisation," he said.

Joining the trail, Dinesh Gundu Rao, Karnataka Congress chief, also hit out at the BJP and RSS. Calling the BJP-RSS Hindutva ideology "fascist", he said they (the Congress) were more Hinduthan the BJP and RSS.

He said, "If we don't believe in a fascist ideology like Hindutva which produces terrorists and hate doesn't mean we are not Hindus, in factwe are moreHindu than BJP, RSS who use religion for politics."

He also said, "Banning PFI or SDPI or Bajrang Dal is the central government's job, if they have proof then they can ban any organisation."

Shah had yesterday pointed to the Karnataka government's lifting of the ban on the SDPI (Social Democratic Party of India) as proof that it was anti-Hindu.

Responding to Siddaramaiah, BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said Thursday that Siddaramaiah's statement has reiterated Congress's policy of appeasement and its hatred towards Hindus.