Facing ire, Salman Khurshid now claims his new book on Ayodhya about 'Hindu-Muslim unity'

Faced with ire over his book 'Sunrise Over Ayodhya', Congress veteran Salman Khurshid on Friday, claimed that his book was about 'Hindu-Muslim unity'. Speaking in favour of the Supreme Court's unanimous Ayodhya judgment, Khurshid said that he was making people understand how the verdict was a good one, refuting politicisation. Khurshid kicked up a controversy comparing Hindutva to radical jihadist groups like ISIS and Boko Haram in his new book 'Sunrise over Ayodhya'.

Khurshid: 'Book about Hindu-Muslim unity'

"Whoever wants to politicise, will do & whoever wants to write a book, will write. My book is for Hindu-Muslim unity, & making them understand that SC verdict (on Ayodhya) is a good verdict. Those who do politics over religion; we reject them. Hence they are afraid of us," said Khurshid.

BJP, RSS slams Khurshid's remarks on Hindutva

On Friday,  BJP leader Ram Kadam filed a  complaint against Khurshid against his controversial book. Claiming that crores of Hindus were hurt by his book on the Ayodhya dispute, Kadam filed a complaint against Khurshid at Ghatkopar's Chirag Nagar Police station. Similarly, the Madhya Pradesh govt has announced that it will ban Salman Khurshid's book as he equated Hindutva with ISIS. Khushid's peer former J&K CM Ghulam Nabi Azad said that comparing Hindutva to ISIS was 'factually wrong' and 'exaggeration'. Even ally Shiv Sena slammed Khurshid, calling his comments an insult to Hinduism.

What has Khurshid written in his book?

The contentious part is in the 'The Saffron Sky' chapter of Salman Khurshid's book 'Sunrise over Ayodhya: Nationhood in our times'. Set in the 'Mandir movement', Khurshid argued that the Ayodhya dispute was about supremacy of one faith. Likening Hindutva, which was on the rise then, to hardline outfits like ISIS and Boko Haram he lamented the sidelining of Hinduism.

It reads, "Whatever rationalization might have been offered, the Ayodhya saga was throughout about one faith trumping the methods of another. But the former faith itself was experiencing a contest of interpretation. Sanatan dharma and classical Hinduism known to sages and saints was being pushed aside by a robust version of Hindutva, by all standards a political version similar to the jihadist Islam of groups like ISIS and Boko Haram of recent years".

Despite facing ire from several quarters including BJP, Khurshid refused to back down on his controversial remark. He asked, "What should I compare what they (BJP) do with? With Hitler? There is something wrong with people who misuse Islam, then why can't I say that something is wrong with people who misuse Hinduism? Do they have a monopoly on Hinduism? They are rather destroying it. That is why I compared them to ISIS and Boko Haram."