Union Minister of State for Social Justice Ramdas Athawale disagreed with the statement of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat and said that it is not right to say that all Indians are Hindus.
“It is not right to say that all Indians are Hindus. There was a time when everyone was a Buddhist in our country. If Mohan Bhagwat means everyone is an Indian, then it is good. In our country, people are from Buddhist, Sikh, Hindu, Christian, Parsi, Jain, Lingayat faiths and different communities live here,” he told news agency ANI.
The RSS chief had said that the Sangh regards the 130 crore people of India as Hindu society, irrespective of their religion and culture. Speaking at a meeting of RSS members in Hyderabad, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat said, “The son of mother India, whether he may speak any language, from any region, follow any form of worship or not believing in worship of any, is a Hindu…In this regard, for Sangh all the 130 crore people of India is Hindu society.”
However, Ramdas Athawale, who heads a faction of the Republican Party of India (RPI) founded by Dr BR Ambedkar, agreed with Army chief Bipin Rawat’s comments on the violence that erupted during protests over the citizenship law.
“Leaders are not those who lead masses in arson and violence. The Army chief Bipin Rawat’s statement is right that our leaders should not take the people to the path of violence. I request all the protesters to keep their demands before the government but in a peaceful manner. The Citizenship Amendment Act is not anti-Muslim in nature,” he said.
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Source: Financial Express
