Bharat is technically a Hindu-majority nation. The Western media and the woke leftists back home keep on talking about “Hindutva fanatics” and “violent Hindutva mobs” all the time. If one were to believe ardently in this discourse, they would be inclined to think that saying anything against Hindus in Bharat would immediately lead to scenes of vandalism and violence. But ironically enough, that’s nothing short of a joke. Hindus of Bharat are a rather apologetic majority, reprimanded by everybody for their “violent and oppressive ways”, the proof of which doesn’t exist whatsoever.

In fact, it’s pretty easy to say anything outlandish and outrageous against Hindus and Hindu Dharma and get away with it. So many politicians in Bharat have said things insulting Hindu Dharma that it’s hard to keep track of these.

First, it was DMK leader Udhayanidhi Stalin declaring that “Sanatan Dharma” is akin to diseases like dengue and malaria and hence it should be eradicated. Next, DMK MP A Raja called “Hindu religion a menace not only to India but to the world”. He also compared Hindu Dharma to leprosy and HIV.

Now, the Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi has made outrageous comments against Hindus in Parliament. In the middle of his speech, he declared that those who call themselves Hindus practice violence and hatred 24*7. The opposition leaders tried to do damage control later that he was referring to the BJP in his comments, and not Hindus in general. But given the “Leader of Opposition’s” history, that sort of argument is hard to buy.

In a speech full of hatred for BJP’s Hindu agenda, and the whole Hindutva activism ecosystem in general, Rahul Gandhi’s comments, even if one gives him the benefit of doubt, definitely referred to all Hindus who dared to speak about the rights of Hindus or raise Hindu issues politically. Thus, he can be seen following the international woke template on Hindu Dharma where good Hindus are the guys who practice religion in the private sphere and mind their own business, whereas those who speak on Hindu issues are bad Hindus.

Rahul Gandhi has previously also attacked the RSS and the whole Hindu activism ecosystem a couple of times. In 2023, he called the RSS a “fascist organization” that has captured “pretty much all of India’s institutions”. He made these comments while speaking at an event at the London-based think tank Chatham House. During a speech at Bharat Jodo Yatra, he reportedly called RSS members the “21^st-century Kauravas”. Furthermore, he has repeatedly accused the BJP and RSS of spreading fear and hatred in the country and insinuated that the two are plotting to change the Constitution.

The current speech labeling Hindus as practitioners of violence and hatred has to be seen in the context of Rahul Gandhi’s history of demonizing Hindu activism, and propagating the global woke narrative about the BJP supposedly oppressing minorities through its policies of “Hindutva fascism”.

Rahul Gandhi, in his Parliament speech also flashed a picture of Bhagwan Shiva, making everyone uncomfortable. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla intervened asking him to adhere to Parliamentary protocol which doesn’t allow displaying any symbols or props during a speech. But the Leader of the Opposition disregarded the Speaker’s request and continued to flash the picture, drawing rather illogical parallels between Bhagwan Shiva’s “Abhay mudra” and the Congress election symbol. It was heartbreaking to see the visuals as Rahul Gandhi turned a Hindu God into a kind of marketing ambassador for the Congress party. The opposition bench members could be seen laughing as he sheepishly said “Jai Shivjee” or something like that.

These visuals are powerful enough to establish what happened in the lower House of Bharatiya Parliament on the 1^st of July. I don’t think there has been a previous incidence of blatant Hinduphobia in the Parliament before. The fact that the hateful remarks were made by the Leader of the Opposition makes this whole episode even more concerning.

Rahul Gandhi’s anti-Hindu comments drew massive protests from the members of the treasury benches. Prime Minister Modi intervened and said that calling the entire Hindu society violent is a serious issue. He further added that the Constitution has taught him to respect the position of the Leader of the Opposition, which is currently held by Rahul Gandhi. Home Minister Amit Shah also condemned the Leader of Opposition’s anti-Hindu rhetoric. “Leader of the Opposition said those who call themselves Hindu talk of violence. He doesn’t know crores proudly call themselves Hindu… connecting violence with any religion is wrong”, he said. The Home Minister further said that Rahul Gandhi must apologize for his remarks.

Rahul Gandhi’s comments in the Parliament drew widespread condemnation from BJP leaders. Almost all senior leaders of the BJP have publicly condemned his Hinduphobic comments on social media site X.

“This is now the Leader of Opposition. Who attacks Hindus while professing brotherhood to all. Who disparages the Indian Army’s bravery, while expressing concern for their welfare. Who tears up Cabinet decisions, while preaching respect for Constitution. Welcome to the politics of the Congress Party”, wrote External Affairs Minister Dr S. Jaishankar on X.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman also condemned the Leader of Opposition’s anti-Hindu comments through her X account. “Sheer audacity of LoP @ Rahul Gandhi to call everyone who calls himself Hindu as “hinsak”/violent shows @INCIndia’s hatred and contempt towards Hindus. Also, consistent with Hindu hate of his INDI Alliance partners. Hypocrisy in claiming “Mohabbat ki Dukaan” exposed”, she wrote.

The opposition INDI alliance has a history of peddling anti-Hindu propaganda. In 2023, Hindupost did a piece on how the INDI alliance normalized the Hinduphobic “Gaumatra” jibe. In 2023. DMK MP Senthilkumar used the “Gaumatra” jibe, which is often used by Hinduphobics to insult and mock Hindus. It is one of the most common Hinduphobic slurs used on social media platforms. Senthilkumar has a history of making Hinduphobic remarks. The Gaumatra jibe has also been generously used by leaders like TMC’s Mahua Moitra, Shiv Sena’s Uddhav Thackeray, Congress leader Udit Raj, and others.

The opposition INDI Alliance boycotted the Ram Mandir Pran Pratishthan Ceremony held in January 2024. There were also numerous media reports of Congress intimidating its leaders who wanted to attend the ceremony in their private capacity. None of the parties of the opposition alliance have ever spoken anything on various Hindu issues. Be it the issue of persecution of Hindu minorities in Muslim-majority countries like Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh, or the issue of “Love Jihad” in Bharat, these parties have nothing to offer to Hindus in terms of protecting their religious identity. On the contrary, they have a history of peddling anti-Hindu propaganda whenever the BJP takes up Hindu issues; they are quick to insinuate that no such issues exist on the ground and the BJP is spreading fear and hatred on the pretext of standing for Hindus.

The TMC, a part of the INDI Alliance has a history of inflicting torture on Hindus in West Bengal, be it the issue of Sandeshkhali violence or other incidents of violence inflicted on Hindus. The DMK from Tamil Nadu has its very existence rooted in anti-Hindu Dravidian politics. The whole INDI alliance ecosystem has been built and nurtured on anti-Hindu prejudices.

When it comes to Rahul Gandhi and the Congress party, they speak the language of the global anti-Hindu lobby. It’s the same lobby that calls the BJP a “Hindutva majoritarian fascist “party and creates the narratives of “Hinduism” being different from “Hindutva”. This global lobby works to undermine the issues of Hindus, rather annihilate those issues pretending they don’t exist. The Congress party speaks in the same language, and that’s why Rahul Gandhi’s successive speeches repeat the same global anti-Bharat and anti-Hindu pattern.