Ram is our family God, I'm his devotee: Karnataka Cong MLA Iqbal Hussain amid Karsevak arrest row

Amid the raging controversy over the arrest of a Hindu activist from Karnataka's Hubballi, Congress MLA HA Iqbal Hussain said Lord Ram is his “family God” and that he is his devotee. The Ramanagara leader also said he will celebrate “Ramotsava” grandly, but in a "secular way".

These statements come in the midst of state-wide protests by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over the arrest of the Karsevak, Srikanth Poojari, for his alleged involvement in the post Babri Masjid demolition riots in 1992.

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Saffron group leaders have since then alleged that the Siddaramaiah-led government in Karnataka is purposefully timing the arrest in the three decade old case only days away from the grand inauguration of the Lord Ram temple in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, on January 22.

In this light, the Congress MLA said, “I've already said I'm a Rama devotee. I worship all Gods and welcome them. There is no second thought about that. I have been worshipping Saraswati, Lakshmi, Ganesha and Rama since my childhood.”

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"I have decided to celebrate 'Ramotsava' with devotion with all the political parties in a grand but secular way. Some people do something for their political gain but Congress never uses God and religion to divide people. Congress has an ideology, commitment and discipline, which I follow," Hussain told news agency PTI.

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"We worship all the Gods including Rama. For them it could be new but not for us. For us, Rama is our family God and we have a Pooja room. They are using Rama for politics. We are not," He added.

(With inputs from PTI)