Reacting to RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat‘s statement that any Hindu who thinks India is not for Muslims is not a Hindu, AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi said that it is the “oldest trick” in the Sangh’s “playbook”. Owaisi, in a post on X on Sunday, cited the views of RSS founders and thinkers, stating that the Hindu organisation was always against religious minorities in the country.
“Its founder was in the Indian National Congress but left it because he was against all religious communities joining the anti-British freedom struggle led by Gandhi,” claimed Owaisi, adding that RSS always ‘opposes democracy and has consistently demanded a dictatorship’.
Also Read | ‘Hindu who wants no Muslims in Bharat is not a Hindu’: RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat
What did Bhagwat say on Hindu-Muslim unity at NYC event?
Bhagwat attended a faith leaders’ conference titled ‘One World One Humanity’ in New York on Saturday, where one of his remarks made headlines. It was about Hindu-Muslim unity, and Bhagwat recalled being questioned by several Muslims about his “claim of a Hindu Rashtra” during his lecture series in New Delhi in 2018.
“In 2018 during my lecture series in Delhi, several Muslim brothers present there asked me, ‘you are a Hindu organisation. You speak of Hindu Rashtra. What about us Muslims? Will you drive us out?’ I told them, ‘no, that is not Hindutva. If any Hindu thinks that there should be no Muslim in Bharat, he ceases to be a Hindu,” he said.
He added that if any Hindu calls themselves a Hindu, they must believe that all paths lead to the same destination. Every human being has inherent dignity, and there is no fundamental difference between us.
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Owaisi says for RSS, Christians and Muslims are internal threats
In his post on X, Owaisi claimed that RSS thinks ‘Indian Muslims and Christians are ‘internal threats’ number one and two, respectively’.
He again cited books by RSS thinkers to underline the claim, saying it is written that ‘Muslim citizens should be treated with perpetual suspicion’.
At the time of filing this article, the RSS had not responded to Owaisi’s claims.
Bhagwat’s NYC visit was strongly opposed by many
Bhagwat also attended the main programme for which he travelled to New York, organised by the American Hindus for Engagement and Dialogue (AHEAD) forum and titled ‘Universal Harmony and Universal Oneness’. His visit to the US was criticised by several people in America, including New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who said he did not support the RSS or the event but maintained that the city had no jurisdiction to cancel it.
Following the conclusion of his New York engagements, Bhagwat will travel to Canada for a five-day tour.
