Exclusive| Rahul Gandhi skirts Ayodhya issue, says nothing ‘soft Hindutva’ about him

“The Congress party respects India’s institutional and judicial processes. This matter is sub-judice. It would not be fair for me to opine as the highest court in the country is deliberating on it. There is absolute clarity, ” said Rahul Gandhi in an interview to Hindustan Times.

Congress President Rahul Gandhi has dismissed the charge that his party has not come out on the issue of building a Ram temple in Ayodhya - now the matter of a title dispute in the Supreme Court - and said his party does not believe in having a view on something before the country’s top court.

“I would say that what the Supreme Court decides is what the Congress and everyone will accept,” said Rahul Gandhi on the issue of building a Ram temple in Ayodhya. (PTI File Photo)

In an interview to Hindustan Times, Rahul Gandhi said, “It’s not correct to say that (the Congress view on the temple isn’t clearly articulated)... The Congress party respects India’s institutional and judicial processes. This matter is sub-judice. It would not be fair for me to opine as the highest court in the country is deliberating on it. There is absolute clarity.”

His party would accept the court’s verdict, he said. “I would say that what the Supreme Court decides is what the Congress and everyone will accept.”

The Congress has, for at least the past year-and-a-half, been seen by political analysts as practicing what they term “soft Hindutva”, which manifests itself, in its simplest form, as frequent visits to temples by Rahul Gandhi. Its chief rival, the BJP, has called it an attempt by Rahul Gandhi to woo Hindu voters.

The Congress President dismissed such characterisation as simplistic.

“What is soft Hindutva? Where did you get the idea? If you asked Buddha or you asked Mahaveer or you asked Guru Nanak, or any of the great people of this country to go to a temple - do you think they would decline? Guru Nanak went to Mecca,” he said, adding that too much shouldn’t be read into a politician going to a temple.

“Anybody including a politician has the right to pay respects and have faith. And I absolutely refuse to let the right wing tell me that you can’t go to a temple,” he said.