The RSS slammed Rahul Gandhi for his "not Hindus" jibe at the ruling BJP in the Lok Sabha on Monday and said it was "unfortunate" that the leader of opposition linked Hindutva with violence.
Reacting to the Congress leader's remarks, senior Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) functionary Sunil Ambekar said, "People occupying important positions linking Hindutva with violence is unfortunate." "Whether it is the Hindutva of (Swami) Vivekananda or (Mahatma) Gandhi, it is a symbol of harmony and brotherhood," he added.
Ambekar heads the all-India publicity department of the RSS.
Launching a no-holds-barred attack on the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the Lok Sabha, Mr Gandhi said the leaders of the saffron party are not Hindus as they engage in "violence and hate" round the clock.
His remarks drew massive protests from the treasury benches, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi accusing the Congress leader of calling the entire Hindu community violent.
Mr Gandhi, however, hit back at Modi, saying he was speaking about the BJP and that neither the ruling party nor the RSS nor PM Modi represents the entire Hindu society.
Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) president Alok Kumar also condemned Mr Gandhi's remarks and said if the Congress leader thinks his party will get votes by "cornering and insulting" Hindus, he must remember that it is still way behind the BJP in terms of seats won in the Lok Sabha.
"He (Gandhi) should remember that the Congress could get just 99 seats out of 542 (in the just-concluded polls) and it is still way behind its competitor," Mr Kumar said in a video message.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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