A political controversy erupted on Monday after senior Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar described Hindutva as “Hinduism in paranoia”, drawing sharp reactions from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which accused him of insulting Sanatan Dharma.
Mr Aiyar made the remarks while speaking at a debate titled “Hinduism Needs Protection From Hindutva” at the Calcutta Club on Sunday. The event was hosted by the Calcutta Debating Circle and featured several prominent speakers, including Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra, BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi, BJP MLA Agnimitra Paul, lawyer J Sai Deepak, historian Ruchika Sharma and journalist Ashutosh.
During his address, Mr Aiyar argued that Hinduism and Hindutva are fundamentally different. He described Hinduism as a great spiritual tradition, while calling Hindutva a political ideology that emerged in the early 20th century. He said Hinduism had survived and flourished for thousands of years without the need for what he termed “Hindutva protection”.
Mr Aiyar also criticised what he called acts of intolerance in the name of Hindutva, referring to incidents involving attacks on minorities and vigilantism. He contrasted this with the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi and Swami Vivekananda, whom he said represented a non-violent and inclusive vision of Hinduism. According to him, equating violence with the protection of religion goes against the core principles of Hindu philosophy.
The BJP responded strongly to his comments. Party MP Sudhanshu Trivedi questioned the framing of Hinduism and Hindutva as separate entities, saying Hindutva represents the essence or “tattva” of Hinduism. BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla accused Mr Aiyar and the Congress of repeatedly targeting Hindu beliefs and echoing what he called a long-standing party narrative against Hindutva.
The remarks have once again highlighted the deep political divide over the interpretation of Hinduism and Hindutva, an issue that continues to spark intense debate ahead of key political battles.
