Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Gaurav Bhatia today questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi's silence on the controversial pro-Hindu nation remark made by Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat.
Bhatia criticised the Bharatia Janata Party (BJP) for bolstering the confidence of such communal persons and extremists.
"Mohan Bhagwat has been emboldened and even the extremists and communal persons have been emboldened after the BJP government has taken power in the center and that is because everyone is baffled by the silence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on such important issues," said Bhatia.
"Even on the Independence Day there was a complete silence regarding these divisive statements being made by Mohan Bhagwat and various leaders of the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP). I think this is the time to show by actions that the government would not tolerate such statements coming from any person whatsoever," he added.
He also blamed Bhagwat for repeating such statements and said that he should go through the constitution.
"This is not the first time that Mohan Bhagwat has made such a statement, such divisive statements have been regularly coming from him, so I urge him to go through the constitution and see what is the essence of this document," said Bhatia.
Bhagwat attracted criticism when he said recently that "Hindustan is a Hindu nation...Hindutva is the identity of our nation and it (Hinduism) can incorporate others (religions) in itself."
Last week, Bhagwat had made a similar remark in Cuttack, Odisha, where he said, "The cultural identity of all Indians is Hindutva and the present inhabitants of the country are descendants of this great culture.
