Shivraj Patil's remarks another attempt by Congress to insult Hindutva: BJP

BJP stepped up its attack against Congress over its leader Shivraj Patil's claim that Bhagavad Gita also spoke of jihad, saying that this is one more attempt by the opposition party to smear Hindutva

The BJP on Friday stepped up its attack against the Congress over its leader and former home minister Shivraj Patil's claim that Bhagavad Gita also spoke of jihad, saying that this is one more attempt by the opposition party to smear Hindutva.

BJP national spokesperson Prem Shukla alleged that the Congress has long been involved in the conspiracy to "insult Hindu, Hindutva and Hindustan" and Patil's remarks are yet another chapter towards this.

Congress leaders in the past have drawn a parallel between Hindutva with terror organisations like Boko Haram and Taliban, he alleged.

Former Union ministers Sushilkumar Shinde and P Chidambaram had spoken about "saffron terror", he said.

Gita is the philosophy of humanity, Shukla asserted.

Patil on Thursday claimed that the concept of jihad was not just in Islam but also in Bhagavad Gita, a Hindu scripture, and Christianity.

Attacking the Congress, the BJP also accused it of playing vote bank politics. Speaking at the launch of Congress veteran and former Union minister Mohsina Kidwai's biography, Patil, also a former Lok Sabha Speaker, said it is said there is a lot of discussion of jihad in the religion of Islam.

The concept comes to the fore when despite having the right intentions and doing the right thing, nobody understands or reciprocates, then it is said one can use force, he said.

"It is not just in Quran, but in Mahabharata also, the part in Gita, Shri Krishna also talks of jihad to Arjun and this thing is not just in Quran or Gita but also in Christianity," he claimed in his remarks in Hindi.

Reacting to Patil's comments, BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla on Thursday tweeted,"after AAP's Gopal Italia & Rajendra Pal, not to be outdone in Hindu hatred & vote bank politics, Congress' Shivraj Patil says Shri Krishna taught 'Jihad' to Arjun!

"Congress coined Hindu/Saffron terror, opposed Ram Mandir, Questioned Ram JI's existence, said Hindutva=ISIS," Poonawalla tweeted.