Salman Khurshid backtracks on Hindutva; says 'Not same as ISIS, but similar' amid backlash

Taking yet another line of reasoning, Congress veteran Salman Khurshid on Saturday, claimed that while ISIS & Hindutva were not same, they were similar. Addressing reporters in Sambhal on the ire faced by his new book 'Sunrise over Ayodhya', Khurshid claimed that he had not maligned any religion and was only targetting those misusing religion. Khurshid kicked up a controversy comparing Hindutva to radical jihadist groups like ISIS and Boko Haram in his new book 'Sunrise over Ayodhya'.

Khurshid: 'ISIS& Hindutva not same, but similar'

"I didn't say that they are same (ISIS & Hindutva). I've said they are similar. I've also said that ISIS and Boko Haram misuse the religion of Islam but no Islamic followers opposed it. Nobody said that I am maligning the image of their religion. It seems that some people are trying to defame Hinduism. They are enemies of Hinduism and are afraid that their truth will come out," said Khurshid. He also claimed his book was about 'Hindu-Muslim unity' and explained Supreme Court's unanimous Ayodhya judgment.

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, several complaints and two pleas have been filed seeking a ban on Khurshid's book. 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".