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Shivakumar sparked a surprise by reciting the RSS anthem, Namaste Sada Vatsale Matrubhoome, inside the Karnataka assembly
Deputy CM DK Shivakumar speaks in the Karnataka assembly. (Image: PTI)
Is deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar playing a calculated game by flaunting “soft Hindutva”? His repeated forays into this space have left Congress circles squirming, even as they force the Bharatiya Janata Party to rethink its monopoly over the Hindutva pitch.
Standing on the floor of the Karnataka assembly, draped in a blue shawl with a smirk on his face, Shivakumar sparked a surprise by reciting the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) anthem, Namaste Sada Vatsale Matrubhoome, to counter the remarks of the leader of opposition while he was replying on the Chinnaswamy stadium stampede issue.
The question is whether Shivakumar is promoting an alternative vote bank by peddling “soft Hindutva” or whether he is gunning for the coveted chief minister’s post at a time when pressure is mounting on him to quit the party state unit head’s post while also holding the plum portfolios of deputy CM, major and medium irrigation, and Bengaluru city development, including Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), and other civic agencies in Karnataka’s capital.
Shivakumar, however, dismissed suggestions that his recitation of the song traditionally sung at RSS shakhas across the country carried any political intent. “I am a born Congressman; my blood, my life, everything is here. I know how the RSS is building institutions in Karnataka, acquiring schools. I am a Congressman and I will lead the Congress with all my strength,” he said.
This was not the first time Shivakumar has worn “Hindutva” on his sleeve. His “religious outreach” has surprised even BJP leaders.
Shivakumar’s appreciation of the organisation of the Maha Kumbh Mela and his participation in Mahashivaratri celebrations at the Isha Yoga Centre in Coimbatore alongside union home minister Amit Shah sparked political debates within both the Congress and the BJP alike.
Earlier this year, amid a row over his attendance at Sadhguru’s Mahashivaratri event along with Shah, he responded to criticism, saying, “I was born a Hindu and will die a Hindu.”
Speculation has also swirled around a change in Shivakumar’s political tone and tenor since his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on July 31, 2024.
In the following months, he met several union ministers, further fueling rumours of his proximity to the BJP. Each time, he sought to dispel such talk by reiterating that he is a “born Congressman” who will not leave the party, even as he continues to praise the RSS.
The assembly surprise came during a heated discussion on the Chinnaswamy Stadium stampede, which claimed 11 lives. BJP members accused Shivakumar of abetting the tragedy by creating mass frenzy, alleging he accompanied the RCB team from the airport to the stadium, waving the Kannada flag and celebrating along the way.
Defending himself, Shivakumar said he had attended the event as a Karnataka State Cricket Association member and Bengaluru’s in-charge minister. “I did wish them (RCB), I kissed the cup as well. I have done my job,” he said, adding that accidents of this kind had occurred in other states too.
When leader of the opposition R Ashoka reminded him of once admitting to wearing “RSS chaddi”, Shivakumar broke into the Sangh anthem, drawing laughter across the house. BJP legislators welcomed Shivakumar’s short recitation with loud desk-thumping, while Congress members sat in silence.
Shivakumar has often expressed admiration for the RSS’s style of organisational building and the way it trains its karyakartas. He has openly said he wants to draw lessons from the RSS playbook to strengthen the Congress as a party, while he has led the state unit as the KPCC chief since 2019.
In May 2024, while addressing Congress workers, he declared, “I’m giving you a task on June 1. We are starting a new programme called Congress Kutumba (family). In every booth, 50 families should be made members… If we don’t make our party a cadre-based party now… look at the way BJP uses RSS cadres during elections.”
The timing of Shivakumar’s messaging is significant. Pressure is building on the Congress high command to deliver on the unwritten agreement made when the party came to power in 2023—a reported “2.5 years each” power-sharing formula between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar. Now, as the 2.5-year mark has been reached, Shivakumar’s camp is demanding the chief ministership. But the high command has made no move, and each time the issue surfaces, the Siddaramaiah camp counters with statements that reinforce his position.
At the peak of the leadership-change chatter last year, supporters of Shivakumar openly demanded he be made CM. The Karnataka in-charge Randeep Surjewala was dispatched to quell the rebellion, but the call for clarity from the high command still lingers.
Against this backdrop, Shivakumar’s political posturing on Hindutva and his insistence on his leadership of the Congress not only in Karnataka but also in other states appear to be part of his effort to build a new vote bank ahead of the 2028 assembly elections—a counterweight to Siddaramaiah’s AHINDA base.
Unlike Siddaramaiah’s secular image, Shivakumar’s frequent temple visits across Karnataka and other states signal a shift in strategy. He has performed several rituals, including a Lingabhisheka at Belagavi’s Kapileshwar temple and a homa at a Tamil Nadu temple. “I am a person who offers puja daily and conducts homa regularly. I got this homa done for my peace of mind and protection,” he said.
When questioned about his frequent temple visits, the KPCC chief remained firm. “I am a Hindu; I will die a Hindu. Yet, I respect all religions,” he said.
Shivakumar has also admitted to attending RSS shakhas as a schoolboy in Bengaluru’s Rajajinagar. The admission drew attention, since the Congress has historically been one of the strongest critics of the RSS, widely seen as the ideological parent of the BJP.
Reacting to Shivakumar’s comment, BJP spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari wrote on X: “Namaste Sada Vatsale Matribhume. DK Shivakumar was seen singing the RSS anthem yesterday in the Karnataka assembly. Rahul Gandhi & close aides of Gandhi-Vadra family are straight into ICU/Coma mode now.”
At the same time, Shivakumar has not hesitated to criticise the RSS. Recently, he declared that the RSS “doesn’t have any history” compared to the Congress’s legacy. His remark came hours after Prime Minister Modi heaped praise on the organisation in his Independence Day speech.
PM Modi lauded the RSS as an organisation as the “world’s biggest NGO” completing 100 years of service, praising its “proud and glorious” legacy of nation-building and character development.
“RSS is an organisation, we don’t question their credentials. But RSS doesn’t have any history. RSS is a newly born institution. The Congress party has a longer history in this country,” Shivakumar told reporters.
He also recalled that the RSS “could not hoist the national flag for a long time” and credited former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee for taking the initiative. “Anyway, it is their party agenda, and I don’t want to comment on it now. The Congress party has always protected the Constitution and the country,” he added.
In the end, Shivakumar’s “soft Hindutva” playbook leaves both the Congress and BJP unsettled—one wary of his ideological drift, the other suspicious of his intent.
Whether it is a gambit to pressure the high command into handing him the chief minister’s chair or a long-term strategy to carve out a new vote bank, the message is clear: DK Shivakumar is determined to script his own political hymn, even if it means humming the RSS anthem inside the assembly.
Rohini Swamy, Associate Editor at News18, has been a journalist for nearly two decades in the television and digital space. She covers south India for News18’s digital platform. She has previously worked with t…Read More
Rohini Swamy, Associate Editor at News18, has been a journalist for nearly two decades in the television and digital space. She covers south India for News18’s digital platform. She has previously worked with t… Read More
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