Salman Khurshid’s comparison of Hindutva with jihadist Islam wrong, says Ghulam Nabi Azad

NEW DELHI: As BJP attacked Congress leader Salman Khurshid accusing him of comparing Hindutva with jihadi organisations, Congress veteran Ghulam Nabi Azad weighed in on the controversy by red-flagging colleague Khurshid for “factually wrong” comparison.
Azad said, “We may not agree with Hindutva as a political ideology distinct from the composite culture of Hinduism, but comparing it with ISIS and jihadist Islam is factually wrong and exaggeration.” The alleged comparison is from the book by former law minister Khurshid “Sunrise over Ayodhya: Nationhood in our Times” which was released at a function on Wednesday. The book is about the Ayodhya judgement of the Supreme Court which Khurshid has lauded.
Azad’s decision to distance himself from Khurshid is interesting given that both have been long-standing colleagues in the party as well as in the central governments. But it may also indicate the discomfort in certain ranks of the party given that such controversies feed the rival BJP’s campaign to paint Congress as “anti Hindu”.
When asked about Azad’s statement, Khurshid said, “Azad is an experienced person. His statement is carefully noted.” He said there was not much difference between him and Azad in the stance they have taken. “He has also said that he disagrees with that ideology while I have explained why we disagree with it. That’s all,” Khurshid said.