Anil Vij's remark reeks of RSS who seek to overwhelm Indian politics: Congress

Branding the remark made by Haryana Minister Anil Vij as 'unfortunate', the Congress on Saturday said that the former's statement not only represents his thought process, but also the mindset of the RSS which intends to overwhelm the politics of the country.

"This doesn't only represent the thought of Anil Vij it represents the mindset of that of the RSS which seeks to overwhelm the politics of this country," Congress leader Kapil Sibal told ANI.

Condemning Prime Minister Narendra Modi's picture on the Khadi calendar, replacing Mahatma Gandhi, Sibal said the 'charkha' represents the swadeshi and the former had ever entertained the every thought of it.

"The charkha had enormous symbolism behind it, in terms of Mahatma Gandhi's own thought. First the charka represents non-violence. It represents intrusiveness. Politically it represented the swadeshi movement India. If one looks at Modi, one can never imagine that he had ever entertained the every thought of swadeshi," he said.

The controversial Haryana Minister had said earlier that from the time Gandhi's name has been associated with Khadi, the industry has never been able to stand up.

Vij's comment comes in connection with the ongoing controversy over the photo of the Prime Minister replacing that of Gandhi in the 2017 wall calendar and table diary published by the Khadi Village Industries Commission (KVIC).

The cover photo on the calendar and the diary showed Prime Minister Modi weaving khadi on a large 'charkha' in the same pose as Gandhiji.

However, the BJP was quick in condemning the remarks clarifying that it was not the stand of the party.

Minutes after making the controversial comment, Vij retracted his statement saying, "the comment I made on Mahatma Gandhi is my personal opinion. To avoid hurting anyone's sentiments, I take it back," he said.

Vij's remarks about the Father of the Nation had invited angry reactions from all corners.