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Hindutva preacher Godse killed Hinduism follower Gandhi: Congress
The statement came amid a raging controversy over a new book by former Union minister and Congress leader Salman Khurshid, Sunrise over Ayodhya: Nationhood in Our Times, in which he compares Hindutva with Boko Haram and the Islamic State.
The Congress again took up the Hindutva versus Hinduism debate on Thursday, asking the country to choose between “the path of non-violence as dictated by Gandhi or the path on violence as told by Nathuram Godse”.
“You know what the difference between Hinduism and Hindutva is—Mahatma Gandhi was a Hindu, but what Godse was, that’s Hindutva… Now the country has to decide whether it will follow the path of non-violence as dictated by Gandhi or the path on violence as told by Nathuram Godse,” Congress spokesperson, Gourav Vallabh, said, said at the party briefing on Thursday
The statement came amid a raging controversy over a new book by former Union minister and Congress leader Salman Khurshid, Sunrise over Ayodhya: Nationhood in Our Times, in which he compares Hindutva with Boko Haram and the Islamic State.
While the Congress has distanced itself from Khurshid’s comments, party leader Rahul Gandhi recently called for the need to differentiate between Hindutva and Hinduism, saying the former encourages violence and the latter preaches peace and harmony.
“BJP talks about Hindutva, and we say there is a difference between Hinduism and Hindutva because if there was no difference, the name would have been the same. Hindutva does not need a Hindu or Hindu does not need Hindutva,” he said while addressing the party’s National Orientation Camp.
Vallabh also questioned the contribution of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) to India’s freedom struggle.
Hitting back, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Tom Vadakkan said, “What Gourav has done is given a very confusing stance of the Congress party on Hinduism and Hindutva. His ignorance is on display. However, this is coming from the top of the party as well wherein Rahul Gandhi claims to be a ‘janeudhari’ but does not have knowledge of the scriptures.”
On Vallabh’s remark on the RSS, he said: “Veer Savarkar and other leaders were part of the freedom struggle, but credit was given to the ones who were loyal to a particular dynasty. So, history has been contorted.”
