Salman Khurshid’s Hindutva comparison with ISIS sparks row

• Says Hindutva origin is similar to ISIS and Boko Haram of Jihadi groups
• His colleague Gulam Nabi condemns and calls it “factually wrong and exaggerated”
• BJP says it hurts religious sentiments of people
• Delhi lawyers file complaint against Khurshid for his equation

New Delhi: A chapter called ‘The Saffron Sky’ in Khurshid’s book titled ’Sunrise over Ayodhya’ is creating sparks between the Congress and the BJP. The book is all about the Supreme Court’s verdict on Ram-Janmabhoomi –Babri Masjid dispute which was launched on Wednesday (11th November) in presence of Congress senior  leaders such as P. Chidambaram and Digvijaysingh.

What did Salman Say?

Veteran Congress leader Salman Khurshid said ‘people used to think that it will take 100 years for the verdict to come. After the verdict, people started giving opinions perhaps without reading it or understanding what, why or how Supreme Court gave the judgement’. In the book titled ‘Sunrise over Ayodhya – Nationhood in our Times’ in a chapter called ‘The Saffron Sky’ in page 113, the text which said, “Sanatana Dharma and classical Hinduism known to sages and saints were being pushed aside by a robust version of Hindutva, by all standards of political version similar to jihads Islam of groups like ISIS and Boko Haram of recent years.” This quote was the main cause for  controversy.

Supreme Court’s  verdict

The Supreme Court in its order on November 9, 2019, directed the Central Government to hand over the 2.77 acres of disputed land to a trust, set up for the construction and management of a Ram temple. A five-judge constitution bench presided by the then Chief Justice of Indian Ranjan Gogoi had also directed that a suitable plot of land admeasuring five acres be handed over to the Sunni Central Waqf Board granting it the liberty to construct a mosque at the alternate site.

Congress distances from Khurshid’s Statement

Senior party leader Ghulam Nabi Azad tweeted that comparing Hindutva to Jihadist Islam was an exaggeration. “In Mr. Salman Khurshid’s new book, we may not agree with Hindutva as a political ideology distinct from composite culture of Hinduism, but comparing Hindutva with ISIS and Jihadist Islam is factually wrong and an exaggeration,” Nabi said. Shiv Sena which runs coalition government with Congress in Maharashtra also condemned the book.

BJP takes on Hindutva

BJP demanded expulsion of Khurshid from the Congress; the Congress is weaving a web-like spider against Hindus. Earlier, the term Hindu Terrorism was invented by the Congress and claimed that it is happening at the behest of Congress President Sonia Gandhi and former president Rahul Gandhi, BJP Spokes person Bhatia said. They are hurting the sentiments of Hindus, Bhatia further added.

Two Delhi lawyers filed a case against Khurshid for defaming Hindutva stating that as “quite aggravating and defamatory”

Though Salman defended his statement by saying that he praised Sanatana dharma and Hinduism in his book and Hindutva is different from Hinduism, this step at this moment looks to have pushed congress into trouble.