‘Where did he insult Hinduism?’ Uddhav Thackeray launches vigorous defense of Rahul Gandhi, says BJP does not have monopoly on Hinduism

Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha and Congress leader, Rahul Gandhi’s maiden speech in the lower house of the Parliament has been vigorously defended by Shiv Sena (UBT) chief, Uddhav Thackeray. Thackeray passionately defended the Congress MP from Rae Bareli for his speech, which had stirred a hornet’s nest. Thackeray boldly questioned, “Tell me, what wrong did he say? Where did he insult Hinduism?”

Thackeray recounted how Gandhi was prevented from displaying a picture of Lord Shiva in Parliament, challenging the definition of Hindutva under the BJP’s narrative. “Is this Hindutva?” he asked, pointing out the apparent double standard where the Prime Minister can chant “Jai Shri Ram” at election rallies without scrutiny, yet when someone outside the BJP does the same in Parliament, it’s deemed unacceptable.

“I do not believe that Rahul Gandhi insulted Hindutva yesterday,” Thackeray asserted. He emphasized Gandhi’s clear message that BJP does not equate to Hindutva, reiterating, “We are also Hindus and none of us will insult Hindutva and will not tolerate insult to Hindutva, and Rahul ji is also included in that,” ANI reported.

In his impassioned speech, Thackeray reiterated Gandhi’s point, which the latter made yesterday in his speech, and declared that the ‘BJP does not have a monopoly on Hinduism’. “Our Hindutva is sacred,” he stated, reinforcing the idea that true Hindutva transcends political affiliations and should not be confined to the BJP’s interpretations.

Today, in a bold statement, Gandhi had said that while the truth may be censored in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s world, it remains unaltered in reality. This assertion came after significant portions of his Lok Sabha speech were expunged by the chair. “Whatever I had to say, I have said, and that is the truth. They can expunge as much as they want, but the truth will prevail,” Gandhi stated to reporters in the Parliament complex. 

Gandhi’s comments were a direct response to questions about remarks he made during the debate on the Motion of Thanks on the President’s Address in the Lok Sabha on Monday. “Truth can be expunged in the world of Modi ji, but in reality, truth cannot be expunged,” he reiterated.

In his debut speech as the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Gandhi launched a scathing critique of the BJP, accusing its leaders of sowing division along communal lines. His remarks provoked a strong reaction from the treasury benches and prompted a rare intervention from Prime Minister Modi, who condemned Gandhi for allegedly labeling the entire Hindu community as violent. Gandhi, in return, had said that the BJP and the RSS do not have a ‘monopoly’ on Hinduism.