Rahul says he’s a nationalist, not a Hinduwadi

● I am not a ‘ Hinduwadi’ leader, but a nationalist leader. I am a leader of every religion, every caste, every language and every class, said the Congress President

Indore, Oct. 30: Asserting that he does not need the Bharatiya Janata Party’s ( BJP) ‘ certificate’ to visit temples, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi said on Tuesday he understands the Hindu religion better than the saffron party does and he is a ‘ nationalist leader’ who respects every religion.

“I am not a ‘ Hinduwadi’ leader, but a nationalist leader. I am a leader of every religion, every caste, every language and every class,” Mr Gandhi said. A day after the BJP’s barb that Gandhi was ‘ exhibiting fancy dress Hinduism’ with his temple visits in the poll- bound Madhya Pradesh and in other states earlier, the Congress leader retorted, “Are the country’s temples the sole property of the BJP and the RSS? Have only Modi and Shah got the contract to visit temples?”

Interacting with select journalists, Mr Gandhi said the BJP remains silent whenever Prime Minister Narendra Modi or the BJP president Amit Shah visit a temple wearing clothes as per that temple’s tradition. “But when Kamal Nath, Jyotiraditya Scindia and I wear clothes as per the temple’s tradition, it is said that we are exhibiting fancy dress Hinduism,” Mr Gandhi said.

Mr Gandhi had started his two- day tour of Madhya Pradesh on Monday after offering prayers at Ujjain’s famous Mahakaleshwar temple.

Hours after Mr Gandhi’s temple visit, BJP spokesman Sambit Patra had alleged, “Rahul Gandhi is exhibiting fancy dress Hinduism continuously. To mislead the Hindus, he is sporting a “janeu” ( sacred thread) over the shirt. We demand that ‘ janeudhari’ Rahul Gandhi clarify to which ‘ gotra’ ( clan) does he belong to.”

Mr Gandhi said, “If I feel like going to a temple and offering prayers to God then I will definitely visit it. I don’t need a certificate from the BJP. I understand Hindu religion better than the BJP does.” Mr Gandhi said that he visits mosques, gurudwaras, churches and other places of worship as he respects every religion.

Describing Hinduism and Hindutva as two different concepts, Mr Gandhi said, “Hinduism is a liberal and progressive concept that teaches love and respect for others, while there is hatred, ins- ecurity and anger in the foundation of the BJP’s idea of Hindutva. No one can claim sole ownership of Hinduism because it is a great concept.” — PTI