Salman Khurshid Book Controversy: 'Hinduism and Hindutva' are different things, says Rahul Gandhi
Salman Khurshid Book Controversy: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday joined the 'Hindutva' controversy that erupted since the book launch of senior party leader Salman Khurshid. Since the launch of the controversial book, many Congress leaders have joined the debate over Hindutva. Reportedly, the author in his book has compared a "robust version" of Hindutva to the jihadist Islam of terror groups such as ISIS and Boko Haram.
“These are the types of things we need to explore and understand and develop a group of people...100, 200, 300, 500 people who deeply understand these differences, who can apply these differences to issues, behaviour, to action. Is Hinduism about beating a Sikh, or a Muslim. Hindutva, of course, is. In which book is it written? I have not seen it. I have read the Upanishads. I have not read it. We say there is a difference between Hindutva and Hindu religion. It is a simple logic - if you are a Hindu then why do you need Hindutva? why do you need this new name?" he asked. Rahul Gandhi said while addressing the National Orientation Camp for Organisation Training, Sevagram Ashram, Wardha virtually.
Senior leader Ghulam Nabi Azad too had said that their political ideology on Hindutva may be different than that of the Bharatiya Janata Party. A statement released by the senior leader said, "We may not agree with Hindutva as a political ideology distinct from the composite culture of Hinduism, but comparing Hindutva with ISIS and jihadist Islam is factually wrong and exaggeration."
On China
Rahul Gandhi alleged that the country's national security is "unpardonably compromised" as the government does not have a strategy on China. "Our national security is unpardonably compromised because GOI has no strategy and Mr 56” is scared. My thoughts are with the soldiers risking their lives to guard our borders while GOI churns out lies."
He cited a news report where the External Affairs Ministry and the Chief of Defence Staff had a different take on the China border issue. Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Bipin Rawat on Thursday said the controversy about the Chinese coming into the Indian territory and building a new village is "not true", and that the villages were well within the Chinese side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
On Congress's ideology
"The Congress ideology...the ideology it follows has been existing in India for thousands of years. Just like the RSS has its icons, the Congress has its own icons... they are different icons. But we have them, it is about bringing this ideological ocean and allowing our people to swim in it," Rahul Gandhi added during the launch of the party's digital campaign 'Jan Jagran Abhiyan' via video conferencing. The Congress on Friday launched a digital campaign for the party's "Jan Jagran Abhiyan" to highlight the issue of inflation and high fuel prices in the country.
Gandhi admitted that Congress did not propagate its ideas properly in the past. "Now is the time to strengthen Congress ideology in its own organisation and spread it across India through party workers," he said.
