“I don’t write my religion as ‘Hindu’ because Hindu is not even a religion !”

Hate-filled remark against Hindus by Congress leader and Chief Minister’s economic advisor Basavaraj Raireddy

Bengaluru – Heated debates are underway in Karnataka regarding the inclusion of religion and caste in the caste-based census.

In this context, Congress leader and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s economic advisor, Basavaraj Raireddy, made a controversial statement: “I do not write my religion as ‘Hindu’ because Hindu is not a religion.” He made this remark while discussing what should be recorded under the “Religion” column in the caste census.

🚨 Karnataka Caste Census Row

Congress leader & CM’s advisor Basavaraj Rayareddy:
👉 “I don’t write my religion as Hindu; Hindu is not a religion, only a culture. If asked, I’ll write ‘no religion.’”

🚫 Only birth-Hindus make such anti-Hindu claims. Has any Muslim or Christian… pic.twitter.com/4MWfOvLWtc

— Sanatan Prabhat (@SanatanPrabhat) September 20, 2025

Raireddy further said: “There is no such thing as Lingayat or Hindu religion. Hindu is only a culture. It is a movement based on the Sharan (devotional) and Lingayat philosophies. There is confusion between Veerashaivas and Lingayats. If someone asks me what my religion is, I will write ‘I have no religion.’ That is my personal view. If my wife writes something else, I cannot comment on that,” he added.

Against the backdrop of the caste census, the Lingayat community has called on its members to record ‘Lingayat’ under the religion column, whereas the Panchamasali Janajagruti Sabha has urged people to record it as ‘Hindu.’

Editorial Perspective

Such anti-Hindu statements can only be made by those born into Hindu families who neither have knowledge of Hindu Dharma nor understand its significance. Has even a single Muslim or Christian ever spoken this way about their own religion ?