On 21st October (Saturday), RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat asserted that India has never seen conflicts over issues on which Israel and Hamas are fighting. He added that such conflicts never happened in India because this is the country of Hindus. He noted that Muslims are also the safest here and only a Hindu can do this. Hinduism respects all sects and faiths and all communities, including Muslims were secure and safeguarded in India, RSS Chief emphasised.
Nagpur, Maharashtra | RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat says, "In this country, there is a religion, and culture that respects all sects and faiths. That religion is Hinduism. Everywhere else, there is a war going on. You must have heard of the war in Ukraine, the Hamas-Israel war. In our… pic.twitter.com/mfevVGfU24
— ANI (@ANI) October 22, 2023
He said, “In this country, there is a religion, culture that respects all sects and faiths. That religion in Hinduism. This is a country of Hindus. That does not mean we reject all other (religions). Once you say Hindu, it is not needed to be told that Muslims too were protected. Only Hindus do this. Only India does this. Others have not done this.”
He further noted, “Everywhere else, strifes are underway. You must have heard of the war in Ukraine, the Hamas-Israel war. In our country, there were never wars on such issues. The invasion during Shivaji Maharaj’s times was of that kind. But we never fought battles on this issue with anybody. That is why we are Hindus.”
Notably, on Saturday, he addressed a programme at a school which was organised to mark 350 years of the coronation of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. At the event, he made these remarks in the context of the ongoing Israel Hamas war.
During his address, he also heaped praises at Shivaji for his inclusive concept of Hinduism. He also clarified that Shivaji’s fight was against foreign invaders, not Indians.
For this, he pointed out the strategic alliance between Shivaji and the Qutub Shahis, referring to them as converts. RSS Chief also shared anecdotes about Shivaji’s life emphasising that he was proud of being Hindu but not against Muslims.
Meanwhile, on 21st October (Saturday), Israel struck a terror compound under the Al-Ansar Mosque in Jenin in the West Bank. The Israel Defense Forces informed that the Mosque was used as a “command center to plan and execute terrorist attacks against civilians.”
Since the 7th October terrorist attack on Israel, the death toll has crossed 2,400 as Netanyahu vows to finish Hamas, and the IDF has been pounding Gaza in retaliation for terrorist attacks on civilians.
