Meghalaya CM slams RSS chief's 'Indians are Hindus' remark

Slamming RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat's remark that "anybody living in India is a Hindu", Meghalaya Chief Minister Mukul Sangma on Tuesday said "India is a secular, democratic country and secularism is part of our constitution".

"Their agenda is only to divide the Indian people on lines of religion and create communal tension. His statement (made in Tripura) is loud and clear that the motive is to that. We really need to ponder," Sangma told IANS.

"It is totally unacceptable to say that anybody living in India is a Hindu. The whole world knows that India is a secular, democratic country and secularism is part of our constitution," the veteran Congress leader said.

Sangma said that the nation must not allow such divisive forces to spread communalism as it is dangerous and pose a threat to India.

"Our secular ideals are under threat because of the ideology of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). We cannot allow these divisive forces to further penetrate and it is dangerous for any nation to be dictated by such forces," he said.

Charging the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government at the Centre of imposing the RSS agenda, Sangma said: "They (Modi government) have been driven by the RSS agenda and this government is implementing them."

"Ever since they came to power, they have been implementing RSS ideology. It is time for people to be blunt and frank and express their concern," the Congress leader said.

Sangma also said the Congress is firm and ready to defend the secular fabric of India.

"We should not lose focus. One after another, the hidden agenda of the BJP has come out. We should be able to properly articulate... and be ready to defend the future of this nation," Sangma said.

--IANS

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