Uttarakhand's Jyotir Math in-charge, Shankaracharya Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati, has defended Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's recent speech in the Lok Sabha, asserting that Hinduism does not endorse spreading fear, hatred, and falsehoods.
In a video shared on X, Shankaracharya Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati stated, "When I heard that Rahul Gandhi had made anti-Hindu remarks, I watched his entire video and found that he had not said anything wrong. Rahul Gandhi is absolutely right when he said that there is no place for violence in the Hindu religion."
Saraswati also condemned the manipulation of speeches, saying, "Spreading half-truths by editing speeches is a crime, and such people should be punished, whether they are from a newspaper or a channel."
He clarified that Rahul Gandhi's statements were directed at a Centre-led party and not at Hinduism.
"Later, Gandhi clarified that his statement was directed at the party led by the Centre, alleging that they are promoting violence under the guise of religion," Saraswati added.
On July 2, during a discussion on the Motion of Thanks to the President's address to a joint sitting of Parliament, Rahul Gandhi remarked, "It is not just one religion that talks about courage. In fact, all our religions talk about courage... Shivji says daro mat, darao mat, shows the abhay mudra (the right hand held upright with the palm facing outwards), talks about ahimsa," while pointing towards the BJP MPs.
Gandhi further asserted that the "BJP and the ruling party were not the sole representatives of Hinduism."
His comments sparked significant protests from the ruling party members. In response to the backlash,
Rahul Gandhi clarified that his remarks were specifically aimed at the BJP, saying that the BJP, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), or Prime Minister Modi do not represent the entirety of Hindu society.
