‘There’s nothing Hindu about what BJP does’: Rahul Gandhi in Paris

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi targeted the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in Paris on Sunday saying that there was “nothing Hindu” about what the saffron party did and that they (BJP-RSS) were not ‘Hindu nationalists.’

“I have read the Bhagavad Gita, the Upanishads and other Hindu scriptures. And I can say that there is nothing Hindu about what the BJP does, there is absolutely nothing. I have not read anywhere, in no Hindu book, or heard from any learned Hindu person that you should terrorise, harm people who are weaker than you. So, this idea, this word, Hindu nationalists, this is a wrong word. They’re not Hindu nationalists. They have nothing to do with Hinduism. They are out to get power at any cost, and they will do anything to get power… They want dominance of a few people and that is what they are about. There is nothing Hindu about them,” Gandhi said.

The former Congress president, who is currently on a week-long Europe tour, made these remarks during an interaction with students at Science Po University in Paris, France.

Accusing the BJP and its ideological parent, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) of “trying to stop expression and participation” of the minorities in India, Gandhi added, “I am striving to not let that happen in the country.”

“It is a matter of shame for India to have minorities that feel uncomfortable in their own country. If there are 200 million people who feel uncomfortable in India, if people from the Sikh community feel so uncomfortable, women feel so uncomfortable, it is a matter of shame for us. That needs to be corrected,” Gandhi added.

When asked to comment on the India-Bharat row, Rahul said that he did not mind if the country was called India or Bharat, but stressed that the BJP’s intention behind the name change was rather out of irritation as the Opposition alliance was also named INDIA.

“India is defined as ‘India that is Bharat’, a union of states. The Indian Constitution uses both names (India and Bharat). Both words are perfectly fine. But we have perhaps irritated the (central) government with our coalition’s name. Our coalition’s name is INDIA. And that’s why they decided to change the name of the country,” Gandhi said.

Gandhi, who was reinstated as the Lok Sabha MP last month, took up his week-long Europe trip on Tuesday amidst the G-20 summit and he will return on September 11, one day after the summit concludes.

There was no immediate reaction from the BJP and the RSS to Gandhi’s remarks. Earlier on Friday, the BJP had hit out at him for conducting his visit at a time when the G20 Summit was being held in India. BJP national spokesperson Syed Zafar Islam said, “People like (Rahul) Gandhi want to bring a bad name to India”.

Union minister Kiren Rijiu on Saturday said, “Rahul Gandhi is attacking India from Foreign soil when the whole world is applauding India’s peaceful rise as a global leader. Rahul Gandhi is deliberately praising China, running down India on foreign soil just to distract India’s successful #G20 summit. Please ignore him.”

On Friday, opening up on his meeting with the European Parliamentary members, Gandhi had said that the members were concerned when he had raised the issue of the attacks on the democratic institutions of India.

“Some people are trying to promote Rahul Gandhi’s anti-India statements given in Brussels. He is meeting well known anti-India activists & trying to damage India’s image. #G20 summit is a Golden opportunity for INDIA to showcase our capability and ability.. Let’s not waste it,” Rijiju added.

In Belgium, Gandhi held meetings with the European Union leaders, students and the media and discussed the condition of the democratic processes in India, which he opined was ‘under attack.’

While in France, apart from interacting with students at the Sciences Po, Gandhi also participated in a meeting of the Labour Union of France in Paris.

His next stop is Norway, where he will address a diaspora event in Oslo and Gandhi is also scheduled to go to the University of Oslo to deliver a speech before returning to India.