Gurugram (Haryana) [India], September 19 : Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) spokesperson Surendra Jain on Saturday condemned former Vice President Hamid Ansari's remarks, alleging that his statement comparing right-wing Hindu communalism with radical Left-wing extremism was an insult to the country's traditions.
Speaking to ANI, Jain condemned Ansari's remarks and said, "Hamid Ansari has once again had the audacity to humiliate this great nation and its glorious traditions. He stated that right-wing Hindu communalism is more dangerous here than radical Left-wing extremism. Had Hindus been communal or fanatical, Hamid Ansari would not have dared to make such a statement. This is the same Hamid Ansari who once claimed that Muslims in India feel insecure."
Jain added, "If there is any place in the world with the highest number of mosques, it is my country, India. He had previously criticised the verdict on the Ram Janmabhoomi issue as well; he did not agree with the Supreme Court's decision… We condemn this statement in the strongest possible terms.”
The remarks came after former Vice President Hamid Ansari's comments on communalism and extremism, which drew criticism from VHP.
Ansari cited former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s remarks on the “danger to India” while referring to the concerns raised by late constitutional expert and author AG Noorani in his book 'The RSS: A Menace to India.'
Ansari highlighted concerns over what he described as emerging trends that challenge the principle of civic nationalism, while speaking at an event remembering the life and works of jurist and author Noorani.
Addressing an event, Ansari recalled Noorani’s observations in the introduction of his 2019 book and quoted Nehru’s remarks recorded by former Foreign Secretary Jagat Singh Gundevia during a meeting of officers of the Ministry of External Affairs.
He said, “The RSS: A Menace to India was the title of the book published in 2019. The opening lines of the introduction, where AG Noorani used a couplet, reflected what he described as the prevailing sentiment among Muslims in India today. In the same introduction, he referred to former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s remarks at a Ministry of External Affairs officers’ meeting, documented by Foreign Secretary Gundevia. Nehru had warned that ‘the real danger to India was not communism, but Hindu right-wing communalism’.”
Ansari attended the 3rd AG Noorani Memorial Lecture and made the remarks during a speech at an event titled “Remembering a Polymath: The Life and Times of Abdul Ghafoor Noorani” held at the India Islamic Cultural Centre in New Delhi on September 18.