'My religion is Constitution', says Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge

Bengaluru: Pushed on the backfoot after a public outcry against his remarks on the ongoing controversy around Sanatana Dharma kickstarted by Tamil Nadu Minister Udayanidhi Stalin, Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge on Thursday clarified that he was not against any religion and does not care about an FIR filed against him.

"I did not speak against any religion. I simply said a religion that does not treat human beings equally is not a religion. I follow the Constitution, my religion is the Constitution," he told a section of media here.

"If they want to file an FIR against me or they want to arrest me, it is up to the individuals, I really don't care. These people do not understand Kannada, Hindi or English. All I have said is that the Constitution is my religion. Does the BJP have a problem with it? Let them file as many FIRs as they want, they are free to do so...," he added.

Earlier, Kharge junior had backed Udayanidhi's anti-Sanatana Dharma by implicating that Sanatana Dharma practises distinction between people and therefore it is not a religion.

Udayanidhi had given a clarion call to annihilate Sanatana Dharma and compared it to Malaria and Dengue at an event in Tamil Nadu.

Meanwhile, senior BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad took on Kharge junior for his comments on the Constitution. He said those who swear on the Constitution do not have any understanding of it.

Prasad said the original Constitution has depictions of several Hindu God and Goddesses, illustrating the constitutional concepts included in it.

"For those who rant about the Constitution now and then, I want to show them something. This is the chapter on fundamental rights. The picture depicts Lord Ram, Mata Janaki and Laxman returning to Ayodhya after gaining victory over Sri Lanka. And, this is another picture where Lord Krishna is seen giving Geeta Upadesh. There are pictures of Nataraja and Bajarangbali.

"Members of the Constituent Assembly had discussed - how to present the Constitution with illustrations, and they decided on Nandlal Bose, a famous painter and disciple of Guru Rabindranath Tagore, to do the job ... And these pictures were duly signed by Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Patel, Dr BR Ambedkar and others," he said. (UNI)