Digvijaya challenges Bhagwat to stay true to his words, remove BJP leaders who harassed Muslims

A day after RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat asserted that the DNA of all Indians is the same, senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh on Monday said if Bhagwat is true to his words, he must give directions that all those BJP leaders who "harassed" innocent Muslims be removed from their posts.

Singh, however, added that Bhagwat will not do so, alleging that there is a difference between his words and actions.

In his address at an event 'Hindustan First Hindustani Best' organised by the Muslim Rashtriya Manch in Ghaziabad on Sunday, Bhagwat also took on those indulging in lynching. "Cow is a holy animal, but those involved in lynching are against Hindutva," he had said.

Bhagwat had also said that though at times, some "false cases" of lynching have been registered against some people.

Read | RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat calls lynching in cow’s name 'anti-Hindutva'

AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi hit back at Bhagwat over his remarks, saying those criminals who carried out lynching may not know the difference between a cow and a buffalo but the names of Junaid, Akhlaq, Pehlu, Rakbar, Alimuddin were enough for them to kill.

This hatred is the product of Hindutva and these criminals have the patronage of a government backing Hindutva, the president of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) alleged.

"Cowardice, violence and murder are an integral part of Godse's Hindutva thinking. The lynching of Muslims is also the result of this thinking," he said in a series of tweets in Hindi.

Tagging a report on the RSS chief's remarks that the DNA of all Indians is the same and those asking Muslims to leave the country cannot call themselves Hindus, Singh said, "Mohan Bhagwat ji, will you pass on these views to your disciples, preachers, Vishwa Hindu Parishad/Bajrang Dal workers also? Will you pass on these teachings to Modi-Shah ji and BJP chief minister also?"

Also Read | Don't get trapped in cycle of fear that Islam is in danger in India: RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat

"Mohan Bhagwat ji, if you make it obligatory for your disciples to follow this thought, I will become your admirer," the former Madhya Pradesh chief minister said.

Alleging that the RSS had instilled "hatred" between Hindus and Muslims, Singh said it was now not easy to remove the "seeds of hatred" sown against Muslims from "Saraswati Shishu Mandir to the intellectual training provided by the Sangh."

"If you are honest with the views you expressed, then issue directions to remove all those leaders in the BJP, who have harassed innocent Muslims, from their posts immediately. Start with (Prime Minister) Narendra Modi and (UP Chief Minister) Yogi Adityanath," the Congress leader said.

Referring to Bhagwat's remarks giving primacy to being Indian, Singh asked Bhagwat to explain this to his disciples first as they "advised me to go to Pakistan many times."