RSS song row: Shivakumar says ready to apologise if anyone is hurt

Apparently stung by criticism from within the party for singing the RSS' prayer song, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Tuesday offered to apologise if anyone was hurt over its rendition in the state assembly and asserted he was a Congressman and would die as one.

Shivakumar, also the state Congress president, had taken everyone by surprise by singing the RSS prayer song on the floor of the House.

The Deputy CM said he only made a "passing reference" in the Assembly.

On August 21, Shivakumar recited a couple of lines of the RSS' prayer "Namaste Sada Vatsale..." in the Assembly during a debate on the June 4 Chinnaswamy stadium stampede.

Addressing reporters here, he said, "I'm not bigger than anyone, my life is there to give strength to everyone. I have stood by everyone in their difficulty, still I stand by them...as a loyal Congressman I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings... If you want an apology, yes. For all the Congressmen and many political party friends of INDIA bloc they may be hurt."  "If you feel that I have done a mistake, which I have not done, I'm still ready to apologise."  Reaffirming his loyalty to the Congress party and Gandhi family, Shivakumar said, "My loyalty to the Congress party and Gandhi family cannot be questioned by anyone. I'm a born Congressman, I will die as a Congressman."  Senior Congress leader B K Hariprasad on Monday had wondered if Shivakumar was trying to impress someone by singing the RSS' prayer inside the Assembly.

"We have no objection to Shivakumar reciting the prayer as the Deputy CM because a government belongs to all, including the RSS. If he said it as Congress president, he'll have to apologise," he had said.