New Delhi: The Congress is the only party in Karnataka fighting for the constitutional rights of Muslims, and it will continue to do so, former state chief minister Siddaramaiah has said.

“The Congress party is the only one committed to secularism. Muslims’ existence is important and they are citizens of this country,” Siddaramaiah, who was in Delhi to strategise with party leaders for next year’s Karnataka assembly polls, told reporters in an interview.

Siddaramaiah also emphasised that the party’s plank in the election would be centred around “Kannada pride”, highlighting alleged “Hindi imposition” by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government, and promising reservations in employment for Kannadigas. The party will also talk about inclusivity and safeguarding interests of Muslims.

Citing the example of the ban on wearing the hijab in educational institutions in the state, the Leader of the Opposition in Karnataka pointed out that his party had fought against it “within and outside the Assembly”.

The Congress leader further asserted that the party would not discriminate against anyone on the basis of religion.

While the Congress has often been accused of indulging in “soft Hindutva”, especially over former party president Rahul Gandhi’s visits to temples, Siddaramaiah asserted that there was nothing like “soft or hard Hindutva”, and said the party was committed to working for the welfare of all communities, irrespective of religion or caste.

“There is no soft or hard Hindutva. Hindutva is Hindutva. Is there any diluted secularism in the Constitution? Going to a temple is my belief and I go there. I am a Hindu. Just because you worship gods doesn’t mean you indulge in soft Hindutva. We follow the provisions of the Constitution and not soft or hard Hindutva. I go to temples but I don’t follow the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh’s (RSS) ideology,” he said.

The Congress is gearing up for the Karnataka Assembly polls scheduled for next year, in which it hopes to wrest the state from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

While internal surveys of the party, according to sources, have indicated that the Congress is well placed for the election, reports of infighting have been making news.

Siddaramaiah, however, dismissed these reports. “The Congress is the only alternative to the BJP. The Congress is united and will fight these elections collectively,” he said.

The former Karnataka CM also emphasised that the Congress will not enter into an alliance with the Janata Dal (Secular) and will fight the assembly elections independently. The two parties had a coalition government in the state for 14 months after the 2018 assembly election, but this collapsed after the loss of a no-confidence vote in 2019, paving the way for the formation of a BJP government.