New Delhi: Iltija Mufti, a leader of the Jammu and Kashmir People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and daughter of former J&K Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, recently commented on Hindutva, calling it an “illness” and linking the slogan “Jai Shri Ram” to incidents of lynching.
She argued that Hindutva, a philosophy propagated by Veer Savarkar in the 1940s, is rooted in hatred and aims to establish Hindu hegemony in India, in contrast to Hinduism, which she described as a religion promoting secularism, love and compassion.
‘Lot of difference between Hindutva and Hinduism’
“There is a lot of difference between Hindutva and Hinduism. Hindutva is a philosophy of hate that Veer Savarkar spread in India in the 1940s to establish the hegemony of Hindus and the philosophy was that India belongs to Hindus and is for Hindus. Like Islam, Hinduism is also a religion that promotes secularism, love and compassion, ” she said.
She also criticised the distortion of Hinduism and condemned the use of the “Jai Shri Ram” slogan in connection with violence and lynching. “The slogan ‘Jai Shri Ram’ is not about ‘Ramrajya’ but it is being linked to lynching… It is very shameful that Hinduism is being distorted… I criticised Hindutva as an illness.”
BJP demands apology
In response, BJP leader Ravindra Raina condemned Mufti’s remarks and called the language as derogatory. He called for an apology, saying that such language should not be used in political discourse, regardless of differing opinions.
Iltija Mufti’s rise to prominence
Iltija Mufti first gained huge attention in 2019 when her mother was detained following the revocation of Article 370. During that time, she managed her mother’s social media accounts. Mufti contested the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly election from the Bijbehara seat this year but was defeated by National Conference candidate Bashir Ahmad Shah Veeri.
