BJP slams Congress, questions Ansari

New Delhi, Sep 21 (UNI) The BJP on Monday slammed the Congress, asserting that former Vice President Hamid Ansari's recent comments on Hindutva and right wing ideology had "thoroughly exposed" the party's ideological stance while accusing him of "creating misconceptions about the country."

Addressing the media, BJP MP and national spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi, in a tongue-in-cheek remark, also "congratulated" Ansari for exposing the Congress's ideological position. Trivedi said repeated criticism of Hindu nationalism by Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi indicated that his political approach had roots in the worldview associated with Nehru. "Former Vice President Hamid Ansari quoted a book which was written in 2019. As per the book, Nehru ji is saying that for him, communism is not a threat as big as Hindu nationalism.

For this, I would like to congratulate Hamid Ansari," Trivedi said. He said Ansari' remarks had exposed what he described as the contemporary Congress's ideological position and its association with political groups. "He has thoroughly exposed that the Congress has become a 'Muslim League Maoist Congress' in totality," Trivedi said. Trivedi also targeted the Congress's alliance with the Indian union Muslim League (IUML) in Kerala, questioning its secular credentials and describing the alignment as a "dark chapter" in India's democratic history. BJP leader Syed Shahnawaz Hussain said Ansari had received much from India, including diplomatic service, two terms as Vice President, so why did he continue to harbour grievances against the country.

"Even now, he enjoys a Type-8 government bungalow with free staff, electricity and water. Yet, he harbours so many grievances against the country. Why so many complaints? Having lived across the globe, does Hamid Ansari not see today that Indian Muslims can find no better country than India, no better friend than the Hindu community, and no better leader than Prime Minister Narendra Modi?" Hussain said. The political row erupted after Ansari cited A.G. Noorani's 2019 book, The RSS: A Menace to India. to highlight a reference concerning former Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, who, according to the book, had remarked that "the real danger to India was not communism, but Hindu right-wing communalism."

Notably, Ansari's remarks on "Hindu extremism" and the RSS also drew criticism from Muslim clerics. All India Imam Association president Maulana Sajid Rashidi was quoted as saying that people who had held constitutional posts were expected to represent all sections of society. Rashidi also said Ansari had not made many statements in favour of Muslims while serving as Vice President but had spoken on several such issues after leaving office.

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