The BJP on Sunday slammed Rahul Gandhi for calling Lord Ram a "mythological figure" and said the Congress leader had exposed his party's "anti-Hindu face".
During an interaction at a US university last month, Gandhi rejected the BJP's idea of what constitutes a Hindu and asserted all great Indian social reformers and political thinkers -- Jyotirao Phule, BR Ambedkar, Mahatma Gandhi and even Guru Nanak, Basava and Budhha -- said the same thing, "Carry everybody with you, satya (truth) and ahimsa (non-violence)." "This, to me, is the bedrock of Indian tradition and history. I don't know of one person whom we consider great in India who wasn't of this type. I can't think of one. All are mythological figures. Lord Ram was of that time, where he was forgiving, he was compassionate," the Congress leader had said.
He had made the remarks after being asked how secular politics should be formulated in an era dominated by Hindu nationalism.
Reacting sharply to Gandhi's remarks, BJP national spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari called the former Congress chief "anti-Hindu" and asked him to change his party's name to "anti-Hindu Congress".
"Rahul Gandhi is the same person who had said Congress is the party of Muslims. The party that used words like Hindu terrorism, did not believe in the existence of Lord Ram and made every possible effort to not build the Ram temple in Ayodhya, its anti-Hindu face stands exposed today in front of more than 100 crore Hindus of the country," he told PTI.
Gandhi's remarks show that he takes Hindu sentiments for granted, he charged.
"Rahul Gandhi has also made it clear that the more a person abuses Hindus, Sanatan Dharma and Lord Ram, the more the chances are of such a person getting a promotion in the Congress. It is because Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi are anti-Lord Ram and anti-Hindu by essence and characteristic," Bhandari said.
People of the country have rejected those who are anti-Sanatan, the opposition parties' "INDI alliance" and Rahul Gandhi and will continue to do so, he asserted.
BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh termed Gandhi's remarks "unfortunate" and asked how the Congress leader would understand Lord Ram while looking at him through an "Italian" lens.
"Rahul Gandhi has been continuously insulting India's culture, history and its great personalities. People of the country will teach a lesson to those who are anti-Lord Ram," he told PTI.
BJP IT department head Amit Malviya said Gandhi and the Congress should stop "ridiculing the beliefs of billions of Hindus around the world".
"Bhagwan Ram is not a mythological figure. He embodies the values, culture and spiritual essence of Bharat. He represents 'maryada', sacrifice, and righteous leadership, which have shaped our civilisation for thousands of years. He is the soul of Bharat and central to who we are as people," he said in a post on X.
"Rahul Gandhi and the Congress should stop ridiculing the beliefs of billions of Hindus around the world. People like him and political parties will come and go but Bhagwan Ram will forever remain a timeless symbol of dharma and an inspiration for generations to come," Malviya said.
Accusing Gandhi of insulting Lord Ram and Hindus, BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla alleged the Congress had not only become an anti-national party but an anti-Hindu party as well.
"Rahul Gandhi calling Lord Ram a mythological figure is the same language that the UPA (United Progressive Alliance) government had used in filing an affidavit (in the Supreme Court) in the Ram Setu case," he said and added people would never forgive the Congress for its "anti-Ram and anti-Hindu" mindset.
BJP MP Manoj Tiwari said the Congress had harboured such an "attitude" for a long time.
He told PTI, "Once they denied the Rameswaram Setu. They don't care about Lord Ram, Lord Shiva. We condemn this attitude."
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