Former minister says BJP’s version of Hinduism is a minority view; that there are many Hindus who have a much more inclusive vision.
New Delhi: Congress president Rahul Gandhi visited several temples on the assembly campaign trail in Gujarat to neutralise Hindutva, party MP Shashi Tharoor said Tuesday. Now that leaders from both the Congress and the BJP go to temples, it is a level playing field, Tharoor said.
“Now that it’s established both go to temples, let’s talk about other issues like the economy,” Tharoor said at the launch of P. Chidambaram’s book Speaking Truth to Power.
Rahul Gandhi’s visit to Somnath Temple in November had triggered controversy with the BJP alleging that he had signed in a vistor’s register meant for non-Hindus. Several senior Congress leaders had come to his defence, claiming Rahul Gandhi was a true Hindu. Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala had gone to the extent of saying Rahul was a janeu dhari or one who wears the sacred thread.
Commentators had said Rahul Gandhi’s temple visits represented a softer version of Hindutva and muddied the election campaign as the discussion tended to centre on how many temples a political leader visited than their poll pitch. Analysts had also criticised the Congress for what they said was following in the footsteps of the BJP and appealing to the religious sentiments of voters.
Asked about the criticism, Tharoor said: “A conversation about Hinduism is unavoidable in India at present. Why would we want to cede and abdicate that space to someone else? There are many versions of Hinduism.”
“Not everyone is happy with the version of Hindutva that the BJP is peddling. There are Hindus out there who disagree with it,” said Tharoor, who has recently authored a book Why I Am a Hindu.
He said that the version of Hinduism these Hindus believe in is more inclusive and has supporters across the country. “BJP’s Hinduism is a minority’s view, which is displacing the larger, more accommodating view of Hinduism in the country. We are countering it with an all-inclusive one,” he said.