BJP, VHP Slam Iltija Mufti Over Her Hindutva Remark; PDP Leader Clarifies Her Stance

PDP leader Iltija Mufti clarified her stance following the row over her remarks on 'Hindutva'. BJP and VHP slammed the leader.

Jammu:People's Democratic Party (PDP) leader Iltija Mufti clarified her stance following the row over her recent remarks on 'Hindutva' and said that she had spoken against the ideology of 'Hindutva' and not 'Hinduism'. Mufti said that Hinduism is a religion that promotes "peace and compassion" and further criticised the 'Hindutva' philosophy, which she claimed wants an India only for Hindus.

The PDP leader further reiterated that she was against Hindutva, which she terms as a "disease" that needs to be "weeded out." "This is an India of Mahatma Gandhi. I have spoken against Hindutva, not Hinduism. I have spoken against Veer Savarkar's philosophy that India is only for Hindus...I know Hinduism is a religion that promotes peace and compassion. I am against Hindutva as it is a disease that needs to be weeded out," Mufti said.

Meanwhile, an organisation of migrant Kashmiri Pandits said that it has filed a police complaint against the alleged derogatory and inflammatory remarks by Iltija Mufti. In a statement, a Kashmiri Pandit organisation called ‘Youth 4 Panun Kashmir’ said on Monday that a police complaint has been filed against Iltija Mufti for allegedly derogatory and inflammatory remarks against Lord Rama and the Hindus.

Vithal Chowdhary, President, Youth 4 Panun Kashmir (Y4PK) has filed a police complaint against Iltija Mufti for her derogatory and inflammatory X post against Lord Rama, the Hindu faith and Hindus. The complaint has been lodged with the Cyber Crime Cell, Delhi, alleging that the statement is deeply offensive, is aimed at inciting communal discord, and deliberately insults Lord Rama, the Hindu religion and its followers.

Bharatiya Janata Party leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi slammed Iltija Mufti for calling Hindutva a "disease." He said that those who were unaware of the 'Sanskriti and sanskar' of the country needed to be given a message about 'Sanatan culture' again. "Hindutva is desh ki 'sanskriti' hai, 'sanskar' hai... and those who are unaware of the 'sanskriti and sanskar' of this country definitely need to be given a message about Sanatan culture once again," Naqvi said.

He further remarked that Hindutva gives a message of taking all sections of society together and moving forward with inclusive thinking. "As far as the question is concerned, Hindutva gives a message of taking all sections of society together and moving forward with inclusive thinking. There is no need to give any knowledge about this," he said. "Some people have developed a phobia of Hindutva, and those with such a phobia of Hindutva should study about it once. They should understand," Naqvi added.

Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) National Spokesperson Vinod Bansal also slammed Mufti for her Hindutva remarks and said that with "anti-India ideology" one cannot do politics for long.

"You cannot do politics with anti-India ideology for long. Those who are trying to nurture and raise separatists and terrorists through these statements have now been eliminated. That 'Babarwadi' mentality and culture of 'Babri' have left the country," Bansal said.

Bansal further said that India is changing, India has moved forward. "Our youth are coming forward for the progress of the country in the Kashmir valley...The entire country along with Jammu and Kashmir is on the path of development...Perhaps due to these reasons and due to the politics of hatred, the party lost badly at both the places it contested the election (Jammu & Kashmir Assembly elections)," he added.

Earlier, the PDP leader clarified her 'controversial' post where she expressed a strong criticism of 'Hindutva,' calling it an "illness," and said that there is a lot of difference between 'Hindutva' and 'Hinduism.' This came after the PDP leader, reacting to a purported video of the attack on minor Muslim boys forced to chant 'Jai Shri Ram', called Hindutva "a disease" that has "afflicted millions of Indians & sullied a God's name."

"Ram the deity must hang his head in shame & watch helplessly as minor Muslim boys are whacked with chappals only because they refuse to chant his name," she stated on Saturday. Mufti drew a clear distinction between Hindutva and Hinduism, emphasising that the former is a religion promoting values of secularism, love, and compassion, similar to Islam.

"There is a lot of difference between Hindutva and Hinduism. Hindutva is a philosophy of hate that Veer Savarkar spread in India in the 1940s with the aim of establishing the hegemony of Hindus, and the philosophy was that India belongs to Hindus and is for Hindus. Like Islam, Hinduism is also a religion that promotes secularism, love, and compassion. So, let's not deliberately distort it," she said.

Mufti further argued that the slogan "Jai Shri Ram" has been wrongly associated with violence and is being used as a tool to instigate hate, rather than representing the ideals of "Ramrajya." "The slogan 'Jai Shri Ram' is not about 'Ramrajya,' but it is being linked to lynching... It is very shameful that Hinduism is being distorted...I criticised Hindutva as it is an illness," she added. (With Agency Inputs)

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