Mangaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Tuesday condemned the statement of KPCC working president Satish Jarkiholi that the term Hindu' is of Persian origin and its meaning is dirty and insulting'.

Talking to reporters at the Udupi helipad before his departure after engagements in the city, Bommai said the Congress party should apologise for Jarkiholi's statement.

Noting that Jarkiholi's remark should be condemned by all, he wondered why Congress leaders including Rahul Gandhi and Siddaramaiah are silent on the statement. He wanted to know whether the Congress approved the statement.

The Chief Minister said Jarkiholi's remark was not incidental and it was made with a purpose to lure votes of minority communities. He is under the illusion that Congress will gain minority votes by insulting the Hindu religion, Bommai said.

He charged that Jarkiholi only had half-baked knowledge about Hinduism and was making comments without deep study, which will in turn hurt the sentiments of believers.

Speaking at a rally at Nippani in Belagavi district on Sunday, Jarkiholi had remarked that the term Hindu' was of Persian origin and that it referred to countries like Iran, Iraq, Kazakhstan and Usbekistan. The orginal meaning of the term is very dirty and insulting, he had said.

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New Delhi (PTI): The Congress Working Committee met here on Friday and adopted a resolution alleging the integrity of the entire electoral process was being severely compromised against which the party would soon launch a movement.

In the resolution of the top body of the Congress, the party said free and fair elections is a Constitutional mandate that was being called into "serious question by the partisan functioning of the Election Commission".

The CWC, which met amid the ongoing Winter Session of Parliament, said the session has been a washout so far because of the Narendra Modi government's "stubborn refusal" to have an immediate discussion on three pressing national issues -- "the recent revelations regarding corruption by a business group, and the violence in Manipur and Uttar Pradesh's Sambhal".

Asked why the Congress Working Committee (CWC) resolution does not name the business group, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said, "The answer is the Adani group".

"The CWC believes the integrity of the entire electoral process is being severely compromised. Free and fair elections is a Constitutional mandate that is being called into serious question by the partisan functioning of the Election Commission.

"Increasing sections of society are becoming frustrated and deeply apprehensive. The Congress will take these up these public concerns as a national movement," the resolution stated.

Addressing a joint press conference along with Ramesh and Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera, party general secretary, organisation, K C Venugopal said the party discussed the political situation in the country for four-and-half hours and adopted the resolution.

He said the CWC has decided to constitute internal committees to look into electoral performance and organisational matters.

About the Assembly polls results in Maharashtra, Venugopal said the electoral outcome in the state was "beyond normal understanding and it appears to be a clear case of targeted manipulation".