Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan on Saturday stressed that people must regard him as Hindu. Citing Sir Syed Ahmed Khan he explained that for him 'Hindu' is more of a geographical term rather than a religious one. He was inaugurating the Hindu conclave organised by Kerala Hindus of North America in Thiruvananthapuram.
"Sir Syed Ahmed Khan once said that I do not think Hindu is a religious term, it is a geographical term. Anyone who is born in India, eats food that is produced in India, or drinks water from Indian rivers deserves to be called a Hindu," he said.
Speaking about the colonial practice of dividing Indians on religious lines he said, "It was perfectly fine to use terminologies like Hindu, Muslim and Sikh during the colonial era because the Britishers had made the communities as the basis for deciding even the ordinary rights of citizens."
Even before independence, the kings and rulers of the country, who believed in "Sanatana Dharma", had accepted all religious groups with open arms, he said. In the same manner that the Union government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi is opening the door for people suffering persecution in neigbouring countries, he said.
The Union Minister also stressed the need to bring all those who believe in "Sanatana Dharma" under one roof. Later, speaking to the media on a BBC documentary made on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Governor said that he feels sorry for some people as they trust a documentary over the verdicts by the judiciary. He said, "India doing so well across the world and that is why these people are disappointed. Why didn't they make a documentary on British atrocities?"
Arif Mohammed Khan is known for his vocal statements on the Muslim community in India and for being an ardent supporter of the Modi regime. He had stood by the Central government's Citizenship Amendment Act and the ban on Triple Talaq, both of these issues being fundamental to the BJP's ideology. The narrative of Hindu being a geographical term is being popularised by the RSS chief. It was also popularised by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor.
