Jammu and Kashmir PDP leader Iltija Mufti has defended her recent controversial remarks, in which she criticised Hindutva as a “disease,” emphasising a "categorical distinction" between "Hindutva and Hinduism".
Mufti’s remarks followed her reaction to a purported video showing minor Muslim boys being forced to chant 'Jai Shri Ram.'
In her post, she had called Hindutva “a disease that has afflicted millions of Indians and sullied a God’s name.”
She wrote, “Ram the deity must hang his head in shame and watch helplessly as minor Muslim boys are whacked with chappals only because they refuse to chant his name.”
Speaking to media persons on Sunday, Mufti clarified her stance, asserting that Hinduism and Hindutva are "fundamentally different".
“Hinduism, like Islam, is a religion that promotes secularism, love, and compassion. Hindutva, on the other hand, is a philosophy of hate propagated by Veer Savarkar in the 1940s to establish Hindu hegemony, with the notion that India belongs to Hindus and is for Hindus. Let’s not deliberately distort it,” she categorically explained.
She also criticised the misuse of the slogan 'Jai Shri Ram,' claiming it has been associated with acts of violence and hate rather than the values of 'Ramrajya.'
“The slogan ‘Jai Shri Ram’ is not about Ramrajya; it is being linked to lynching. It is very shameful that Hinduism is being distorted. I criticised Hindutva as it is an illness,” she stated.
Her comments drew sharp criticism from the BJP.
Senior BJP leader Ravinder Raina condemned the language used, terming it “derogatory” and an insult to Hinduism, and demanded an apology.
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