(L to R) 46th Shankaracharya of Jyotir Math— Swami Avimukteshwarananda; LoP Rahul Gandhi.
Credit: X/@INCJammuKashmir and PTI
The 46th Shankaracharya of Jyotir Math — Swami Avimukteshwarananda — has spoken up against the objections raised by the BJP, among others, about Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi's remarks that "those who are violent, are not Hindus".
Rahul Gandhi was addressing the Parliament session on July 1 when he held pictures of Lord Shiva, Guru Nanak, and Jesus Christ while referring to Hinduism, Islam, Sikhism, Christianity, and Buddhism. While he was showing the pictures, which the Speaker objected to, Gandhi had underlined that all major religions and great holy men have said "daro mat, darao mat (don't be scare, don't scare others)".
The House however witnessed scenes of protest and uproar from BJP members who stood up in protest against the pictures that Gandhi was displaying. The LoP however continued and stated:
"Aap Hindu ho hi nahi (You are not Hindus). It is clearly written in Hinduism that one should stand with the truth and not back down from the truth or be scared of it," sparking a series of allegations with the BJP alleging that Gandhi had 'hurt the sentiments' of many Hindus.
However, the seer, who holds the religious title 'Shankaracharya', said in a video that has gone viral on the web that, "We heard Rahul Gandhi's entire speech. He is clearly saying that there is no place for violence in Hinduism. Rahul Gandhi is not saying anything contrary to Hinduism anywhere."
Slamming those who have alleged that Gandhi hurt the sentiments of Hindus, the 46th Shankaracharya warned: "Spreading half of Rahul Gandhi's statement is a crime."
"Rahul can never speak against Hindus. His remarks were directed at BJP and its leaders," the seer is heard saying in the video.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had also intervened during Rahul Gandhi's address on July 1 and had said, "This issue is very serious. Calling the entire Hindu community violent is a serious issue."
The row followed after Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP leader Sambit Patra along with many others allegedly accused Gandhi of purposely hurting the sentiments of many Hindu believers.
On the following day, July 2— portions of Gandhi's speech mentioned above were expunged.