New Delhi [India], January 30 : Former Vice President Hamid Ansari fanned a new controversy by claiming Mahmud Ghazni, who repeatedly attacked and destroyed the ancient Somnath Temple in Gujarat in the eleventh century, was an Indian, with the BJP and Hindu outfit leaders slamming the Congress ecosystem for "eulogising Hindu haters."
Prime Minister Narendra Modi joined the Somnath Swabhiman Parv on January 11, marking 1,000 years since the first attack on the temple in January 1026 and lauded the resilience of Indian civilisation that rebuilt the shrine ravaged repeatedly by foreign invaders.
Bharatiya Janata Party cornered Hamid Ansari and Congress over his remarks, slamming the former Vice President for his "affection" for foreign invaders while terming his mindset to be "narrow and divisive".
Congress, on the other hand, distanced itself from the controversy.
Speaking with ANI, Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Vinod Bansal demanded a clarification from Hamid Ansari on his statement.
"Hamid Ansari's anti-national character is no secret. He has advocated for the PFI in the past, but to call a 17-time invader an indigenous figure, a brutal terrorist who looted, vandalised, and destroyed the Somnath temple... it was this Ghaznavi who also attacked Nalanda University...Giving such statements at this time suggests that his affection for the Congress party is resurfacing... He should clarify why he is ashamed to call an invader an invader?"
BJP leader Shahnawaz Hussain said that the former Vice President Hamid Ansari is "breaking a well-established high dignity" with his claims on Mahmud Ghazni being an Indian.
Shahnawaz Hussain added that to call someone who "attacked India's self-respect", an Indian is "unfortunate.
"Former Vice President Hamid Ansari is breaking a well-established high dignity. He's calling Ghazni an Indian. Did Ghazni live in his neighbourhood? Why is he distributing certificates like this? The one who destroyed Somnath, the one who looted gold, the one who attacked India's self-respect, he's calling him an Indian. This is unfortunate," he said.
BJP leader Gaurav Vallabh lashed out at Hamid Ansari said that the former Vice President has revealed a "narrow and divisive mindset."
"This is a narrow and divisive mindset. The same Mahmud Ghazni, who destroyed the Somnath temple and many other temples in India, and who is considered a looter, is being called an Indian by a former Vice President associated with the Congress party? You should check your understanding of history. For us, Chandragupta Maurya, Chhatrapati Shivaji, Emperor Ashoka, and Prithviraj Chauhan are symbols of Indian pride and honour, and true Indian warriors," he said.
Bihar minister Ashok Choudhary said, "What we read in history or what was taught in NCERT books was also from the Indian government. When he was the Vice President, he should have had it changed... How would a student know? They learn from books... Why didn't he protest and have it removed from history books that Mahmud of Ghazni was not an invader but an Indian? He just wants to say something to stay in the news."
Congress leader Pawan Khera distanced the party from Hamid Ansari's comment. "As for Hamid Ansari, why should the Congress party answer for him?... In Varanasi today, a play about Godse was being staged on the anniversary of Gandhi's martyrdom... Look, what is their ecosystem doing? Why should we respond to Hamid Ansari's statement?" he said.
Congress leader Rashid Alvi said that Hamid Ansari was never a Congress leader but questioned the RSS calls of "Akhand Bharat."
"Hamid Ansari was never a member of Congress, he was a Vice President... If he holds a connection with Congress, this means the current Vice President is a member of the BJP... Whatever Hamid Ansari said is the same as what RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat says. He still wants Akhand Bharat, in which Afghanistan was a part of India... Hamid Ansari said he was a part of India... If he is wrong, then so is RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat. RSS and BJP should answer if they support Mohan Bhagwat or not," he said.
BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawala accused the Congress of always eulogising Hindu haters and whitewashing their atrocities.
While speaking to ANI, Poonwala said, "The Congress ecosystem always eulogises Hindu haters. Whoever attacks or commits atrocities on Hindus is always subjected to whitewashing by the Congress ecosystem. Now, Hamid Ansari says that Ghazni was not a cruel person. Ghazni was just an Indian... Even if the person is doing tukde tukde of India, whether it's Sharjeel, Yaqub, Afzal or Umar, they stand in support of such elements. It shows the Hindu hatred they have in their mind."
The backlash comes after a clip of Hamid Ansari, who served two terms as Vice President from 2007 to 2012 and again from 2012 to 2017, surfaced on social media in which he claimed that the foreign invaders, such as Mahmud Ghazni and Ibrahim Lodhi, often portrayed as foreign invaders in history books, were actually Indians.
Mahmud Ghazni was the ruler of the Ghaznavid Empire in Afghanistan. He launched a series of raids into India between 1000 and 1027 AD, around 17 times, to plunder its wealth. One of his most famous attacks was on the Somnath Temple in Gujarat, which he plundered for its immense riches. Historians claimed that the Somnath idol was disfigured and broken into pieces, and the temple was then burned to the ground.