Salman Khurshid draws flak from Congress colleagues and BJP. What is the controversy over his book all about?

Congress leader Salman Khurshid’s book — Sunrise Over Ayodhya: Nationhood in Our Times — has stirred the hornet’s nest. The book has sections comparing Hindutva to radical jihadist groups such as ISIS and Boko Haram. Released in New Delhi on November 10, the book is based on the Ram Janambhoomi-Babri Masjid issue, the legal battle, and the Ayodhya verdict.

In the chapter titled ‘The Saffron Sky’, on page number 113 of the book, Khurshid writes, “Sanatan Dharma and classical Hinduism known to sages and saints were being pushed aside by a robust version of Hindutva, by all standards a political version similar to the jihadist Islam of groups like ISIS and Boko Haram of recent years.”

Obviously, it did not go down very well and what followed was outpour on social media, condemnation by the BJP and the Congress trying hard to distance itself from the controversy. Senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad spoke about “the composite culture of Hinduism” and dismissed Khurshid’s comparison as “factually wrong and an exaggeration” He is the first one in the Congress to publically comment on the issue.

But it didn’t end there.

Vineet Jindal, a Delhi-based lawyer has filed a complaint on Thursday against Khurshid. The complaint states that the statement not only instigates and provokes but also stirs up enraged emotions among followers of the Hindu religion. The complaint reads: “The equivalence of Hinduism to ISIS and Boko Haram is perceived as a negative ideology Hindus have been following and Hinduism is violent, inhuman and oppressive.”

Jindal added that since “the accused” is a public figure, an MP and a former Law Minister, he has a greater influence on the public. In this light, the statement disturbs faith and culture, threatens peace and harmony, and national security, the complaint reads, calling for an FIR against Khurshid.

While individual sentiments are hurt, the BJP has also not kept quiet. It has accused Khurshid of equating the religion with radical Islamic groups and hurting religious sentiments. The saffron party has demanded that he be sacked from the Congress, and alleged that the Grand Old Party is weaving a “web like a spider against Hindus”. The BJP has even demanded Congress chief Sonia Gandhi to explain the statement “if she respects Hindus”.

However, Khurshid firmly stands by what he has written. As per a PTI report, Khurshid said, “I have not called these guys terrorists. I have just said they are similar in distorting religion. What Hindutva has done, it has pushed aside Sanatan Dharma’ and Hinduism and it has taken over a robust, aggressive position similar to Boko Haram and those other guys.”

“I could not find anybody else that they could be similar to. I said they are similar to them, that’s all, nothing to do with Hinduism. Hindutva, as portrayed by its proponents, is distorting religion,” he said.

Even his colleague’s dismissal did not deter Khurshid, as he ploughed on. On Azad’s remarks, Khurshid reportedly said, “Mr Azad has said he disagrees with the ideology of Hindutva. I have explained why we disagree. After that, he (Azad) said this is an exaggeration. Now, exaggeration, measurement and assessment and perception varies from person to person. It may seem exaggerated to him, it does not seem exaggerated to me.”

He further added, “I don’t want to engage him (Azad) in an argument because I think he must have said it in a casual moment when he had nothing serious thoughtful consideration of it. But if he said it, we respect him for what he says, he is a senior person, but it will not make me change my mind.”

Reports suggest that the Congress leaders are privately ruing the timing of the row and are concerned about the party’s image ahead of the upcoming Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections. The worry is not entirely misplaced, as the party has been performing abysmally in the State over the past years. They were hoping for their fortunes to revive under Priyanka Gandhi’s leadership in UP. The recent controversy is surely a big blow to all those hopes.