Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president B.K. Hariprasad on Wednesday launched a sharp attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), alleging that they had “looted” donations received for the Ram Temple in Ayodhya and were undermining India’s pluralistic ethos.

Addressing a seminar organised by the KPCC campaign committee at the party office here, Mr. Hariprasad said: “History tells us that Mahmud of Ghazni plundered this country several times. But those who have looted temples today are the RSS and the BJP. They deceive people in the name of religion and God.”

Describing himself as a proud Hindu, Mr. Hariprasad said he followed the Hinduism espoused by Mahatma Gandhi, Swami Vivekananda, Narayana Guru, Kanakadasa and Basavanna, and not that propagated by RSS ideologues such as M.S. Golwalkar, Nathuram Godse and K.B. Hedgewar.

“The Hindu religion I follow believes in equality and harmony among all faiths. Secularism means that all religions should coexist with mutual respect,” he said.

Highlighting India’s diversity, Mr. Hariprasad said the country was home to several major religions, 22 scheduled languages and thousands of other languages and dialects. He accused the RSS and the BJP of attempting to erode this diversity through ideas such as “one nation, one education, one leader and one religion".

At the same time, Mr. Hariprasad said the Congress would have no objection to the RSS if it accepted the Constitution, the tricolour, democracy and Mahatma Gandhi’s philosophy of equal respect for all religions.

“They (RSS) are not our enemies; they are our fellow countrymen. But if they accept the Constitution, democracy, the national flag and the principle of secularism, which form the foundation of this country, we will not oppose them,” he said.

Referring to the forthcoming elections to the five city corporations in Bengaluru, Mr. Hariprasad said Congress workers should familiarise themselves with the background of BJP leader Ram Madhav, who has been entrusted with the party’s campaign for the civic polls.

He alleged that during elections the BJP sought to divert attention by raising issues such as Pakistan, halal, hijab and mangalsutra instead of addressing governance concerns. He also said Mr. Madhav should answer questions on his reported meetings with Pakistani leaders.

Targeting the Centre over Operation Sindoor, Mr. Hariprasad alleged that the NDA government had made contradictory statements regarding casualties among Indian soldiers. “The government initially claimed that no soldier had died in Operation Sindoor, but Defence Minister Rajnath Singh later paid tributes to six soldiers. This raises serious questions about the government’s credibility,” he said.