Bhartiya Janata Party President, Nitin Gadkari says that terrorists have no religion and cannot
be categorised as a Hindu or a Muslim.
Gadkari also alleged that "pseudo secularists" were deliberately giving a religion tag for a terrorist and said the term 'secularism' is now being used for minority
appeasement.
"... terrorist has no creed, caste or religion. A God fearing Hindu will not kill an innocent Muslim and similarly,a god fearing Muslim will not kill an innocent Hindu, and if
he is doing so, then he is a terrorist who does not belong to any religion," he said at the 'dedication ceremony' for over100 professionals as volunteers for the BJP Monday.
He termed as "propaganda" that Hindutva was against Muslims and said people were "misrepresenting" the facts to further their vested interests.
Maintaining that India's main opposition party was in favour of equality in social and economic spheres for all, he said "We believe in the philosophy of 'vasudev kutumbhkam'
(world is one family)."
Terming Hindutva as the "spirit" of BJP, Gadkari said it cannot be a subject of political debate and it can never be an agenda for any political party. He lamented that the image of Hindutva had overshadowed its real meaning.
"Whether someone likes it or not, the subject has been a matter of debate for the last 40 years in politics. I feel people should know the reality (of what Hindutva means) after
serious thinking.
"It is a tragedy of image versus reality. Letters can change but not the spirit. Hindutva is our philosophy, it is
our spirit... which cannot change," he added.
He said it was necessary that the new generation was taught the real meaning of Hindutva, adding, "A proper focus on the issue is the need of the hour".
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh ideologue M G Vaidya, who also spoke, said that for BJP, distancing itself from Hindutva would mean distancing itself from RSS and its core values.
He recalled that when the issue of BJP's relations vis-a-vis Hindutva was being debated in 2004, he had said BJP has moved along a particular line from where it would not be
appropriate to pull it back.
"I had said that if BJP disassociates itself from Hindutva, then the RSS would take a call on whether to keep Hindutva in politics or not," he added.