JOIN USBhagwat's remarks on Muslims, cow lynching stir political pot; Opposition alleges 'doublespeak'
RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat's Sunday remarks lambasting lynching in the name of cow protection and about "same DNA" of all Indians has stirred the political pot, with Opposition parties daring the Sangh to testify to his words by taking action against those spreading hatred in its backyard and BJP lapping up the remarks that were interpreted by critics as the softening of its stand just six months before the UP polls.
Congress, SP, BSP and AIMIM took potshots at the RSS chief. AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi dismissed Bhagwat's remarks, asking whether he has accepted that the majority community has been radicalised due to the RSS & Hindutva ideology.
"Is RSS & Hindutva ideology not responsible for radicalisation?", Owaisi asked, saying those criminals who carried out lynching may not know the difference between a cow and a buffalo but the names of Junaid, Akhlaq, Pehlu, Rakbar, Alimuddin were enough for them to kill.
"This hatred is the product of Hindutva and these criminals have the patronage of a government backing Hindutva," he said.
Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh said that if Bhagwat is honest with the views he expressed, then he should issue directions to remove all those leaders in the BJP, who have harassed innocent Muslims, from their posts immediately.
"Start with (Prime Minister) Narendra Modi and (UP Chief Minister) Yogi Adityanath", Singh said, reminding the RSS chief how the Congress leader, himself was "advised" to "go to Pakistan" many times.
Addressing an event organised by the Muslim Rashtriya Manch on the theme ‘Hindustan First, Hindustani Best’ in Ghaziabad in poll-bound UP, Bhagwat had said, "Anyone who says Muslim should not live in India is not a Hindu. We are in democracy. There can't be dominance of Hindus or Muslims. There can only be dominance of Indians."
On cow lynching he said, "Cow is a holy animal but the people who are lynching others in the name of cow protection are going against Hindutva. They are oppressors. They should be tackled legally."
BSP chief Mayawati, however, said there is a difference in the words and actions of the Sangh and hence his remarks that the "DNA of all Indians is the same" and "violence is against Hindutva" are not sounding sincere.
The RSS chief's statement was like "Muh me Ram, bagal me chhuri", she said using a Hindi proverb that means action of a person being contrary to his speech.
Samajwadi Party said RSS should stop all anti-Muslim statements coming from BJP leaders in that case.
Minority Affairs Minister of Modi government Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, however, hit out at the Opposition, flagging "full of harmony" ideology of RSS and rejecting its criticism as "propaganda by the Bharat-bashing brigade".
Bhagwat also got the backing from Shiv Sena's Sanjay Raut who said that his party agrees with what Bhagwat said that everyone's DNA is Indian
"'Everyone's DNA is Indian'. We agree with what Mohan Bhagwat Ji has said. However, there were also angry outbursts on social media by many from the Hindutva brigade, who felt Bhagwat has changed narrative and what he said did not espouse Hindu cause," Raut said.