Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday, Nov 12 addressed a training programme of 'Jan Jagran Abhiyan' via video conferencing, during which he stated that Hindutva and Hinduism are two different things and stressed the need to explore and understand such differences. While pointing out the difference between Hinduism and Hindutva he said,
“Today, whether we like it or not, the hateful ideology of RSS & BJP has overshadowed the loving, affectionate and nationalistic ideology of Congress Party, we have to accept this. Our ideology is alive, vibrant but it has been overshadowed.”
Rahul Gandhi’s remarks come amid controversy that erupted due to a passage in veteran Congress leader Salman Khurshid’s book 'Sunrise Over Ayodhya: Nationhood in Our Times'. BJP has criticised the Congress and demanded the expulsion of Khurshid from the party for reportedly comparing Hindutva with the “jihadist Islam of terrorist groups such as ISIS and Boko Haram” in his book.