India / Rahul has very poor knowledge about Hindu, Hindutva: RSS leader

New Delhi: Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) leader Indresh Kumar on Thursday lashed out at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over the latter’s recent comments on Hinduism and Hindutva, stating that Gandhi’s knowledge on the subject “is very poor”.

“Without Hindutva, a Hindu cannot remain a living being. By drawing a distinction between the terms Hindu and Hindutva, he has separated the body from its soul. He has very poor knowledge and concept,” Kumar told media persons in the national capital.

Addressing a public rally in Rajasthan on Sunday, Rahul Gandhi had claimed that India is a nation of Hindus, not ‘Hindutvavadis’.

He said that ‘Hindutvavadis’ are greedy for power, and they are in power since 2014. He urged people to “throw Hindutvavadis out of power” and “bring back Hindus” who follow the path of truth.

“Hindutvavadis spend their entire life in search of power. They want nothing but power and can do anything for it. They follow the path of ‘Sattagrah’ (search of power), not ‘Satyagrah’ (search of truth). This country is of Hindus, not of Hindutvavadis. Hindutvavadis only want power and they are in power since 2014. We need to throw these Hindutvavadis out of power and bring back Hindus,” the Wayanad MP said while speaking at the Mehangai Hatao in Rajasthan.

Furthermore, he questioned the ethos of ‘Hindutvavadis’, and said that Mahatma Gandhi was a Hindu but his assassin Nathuram Godse was a ‘Hindutavadi’.

“Who is Hindu? The one who embraces everybody fears nobody, and respects every religion, while a Hindutvavadi bow down before his fear. In Indian politics today, there is a competition between two worlds – ‘Hindu’ and ‘Hindutvavadi’. The two words have different meanings. I am Hindu but not Hindutvavadi...  Mahatma Gandhi was a Hindu but Godse was Hindutavadi,” Rahul Gandhi said.