BJP Slams Rahul Gandhi Over ‘Mythological’ Lord Ram Comment, Calls Congress Anti-Hindu
A recent remark by Senior Congress leader and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, has reignited a political storm, with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) accusing the Congress of being "Ram Drohi" – anti-Ram – and "anti-Hindu."
The controversy began after Rahul Gandhi, during an interaction at the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs at Brown University in the United States, described Lord Ram as a "mythological figure." His comments were made in response to a question about how secular politics should be shaped in an era dominated by Hindu nationalism.
“If you look at all great Indian social reformers and political thinkers, Buddha, Guru Nanak, Basava in Karnataka, Narayana Guru in Kerala, (Jyotirao) Phule, Mahatma Gandhi and BR Ambedkar, you see one streak. None of these are bigots. None of these people are saying we want to isolate people, all these people, the voices of whom are in our Constitution, are saying the same thing: carry everybody with you, satya (truth) and ahimsa (non-violence), this is the bedrock of Indian tradition and history,” Mr. Gandhi said.
He continued, “All our mythological figures, Lord Ram was of that kind, he was forgiving, he was compassionate, I don't consider what the BJP says to be the Hindu idea at all. I consider the Hindu idea to be much more pluralistic, much more embracing, much more affectionate, much more tolerant and open. There are people in every state and community who stood for those ideas, lived for those ideas and died for those ideas. Gandhiji is one of them. To me, hatred and anger against people come from fear. If you are not scared, you don't hate anybody.”
Taking direct aim at the BJP, Mr. Gandhi added, “I don't view the BJP conception as a Hindu conception. In terms of thinking, they are a fringe group, now they have captured political power, they have got a huge amount of wealth and power, but they don't represent the large majority of Indian thinkers by any means.”
BJP leaders have since circulated an eight-second clip of Mr. Gandhi’s remarks highlighting his reference to Lord Ram as a “mythological figure,” using it to accuse the Congress of disrespecting Hindu sentiments.
BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said, “Insulting Hindus and Lord Ram has become the Congress party's identity. Those who rejected Lord Ram's existence through an affidavit, opposed the construction of Ram Temple, coined the 'Hindu terror' phrase, have now said Rahul Gandhi is 'mythological'. Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi did not attend the Ram Temple consecration. This shows their anti-Ram and anti-Hindu mindset. They speak Pakistan's language, hurt the morale of the forces. They are anti-Ram and anti-India and the people won't forgive this.”
The affidavit referenced by Mr. Poonawalla was filed in 2007 by the then UPA government in the Supreme Court during the Ram Janmabhoomi case. It stated, “Valmiki Ramayana and Ramcharitmanas admittedly form an important part of ancient Indian literature, but these cannot be said to be historical records to incontrovertibly prove the existence of the characters and occurrences of events depicted therein.”
This is not the first time Mr. Gandhi has drawn fire from the BJP over his remarks on Hinduism. In July last year, he said, “Abhayamudra is the symbol of Congress...The Abhayamudra is the gesture of fearlessness, is the gesture of reassurance and safety, which dispels fear and accords divine protection and bliss in Hinduism, Islam, Sikhism, Buddhism and other Indian religions....All our great men have spoken about non-violence and finishing fear...But, those who call themselves Hindu only talk about violence, hatred, untruth…Aap Hindu ho hi nahi…”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had then responded strongly, saying, “Calling the entire Hindu community violent is a very serious matter.”
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