Mathura (Uttar Pradesh) [India], January 12 (ANI): Spiritual leader Devkinandan Thakur on Monday slammed Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar's remarks on Hindutva, saying that Hindus protect their religion.

'Our scriptures say we should protect our religion. A Hindu is not scared of anyone. We all must protect our religion. All parties should ensure that Hindus, mothers, daughters, and Gau Mata feel safe. Today, Hindus are awakening,' Thakur said.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders have strongly objected to Mani Shankar Aiyar's remarks, with the party accusing him and the Congress of having a 'colonial mindset' and being 'Hindu virodhi'.

'Mani Shankar Aiyar is a British agent. He has a colonial mindset. Hindutva is inclusive. Hinduism is a way of life, not a religion. I advice him to read what Swami Vivekananda said and also what RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat has said on Hinduism and Hindutva. The people from Congress do have a colonial mindset,' BJP leader Narayanan Thirupathy told ANI.

BJP MLA Bhavana Bohra also criticised Aiyar's remarks, saying.'Everyone is well aware of which family he has been close to and which party he belongs to. When there was a Congress government at the Centre, at that time, when Pakistan attacked India, they kept saying that a peace agreement was being made. Now it's the era of Modi ji, and now it's not just about talks but the time to respond in a befitting way,' Bohra said.

Earlier, while addressing 'The Debate 2026', hosted by the Calcutta Debating Society, Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar had made sharp remarks on Hindutva.

'Hindutva is Hinduism in paranoia. It asks 80% Hindus to quiver in front of 14% Muslims. Hindutva is a BJP leader slapping a blind, hungry tribal girl because she attends a Christmas lunch in a Church. Hindutva raids shopping malls to tear down Christmas decorations,' Aiyar said.

Speaking on Vinayak Damodar Savarkar's ideology, Aiyar added, 'Savarkar described Buddhism as an existential threat to all Hindus. He described it as the ultimate negation of Hindutva, bearing the opiate of universalism and nonviolence. He said it was disastrous to national virility and even the existence of the Hindu race.'

The Congress leader further drew a distinction between Hinduism and Hindutva.

'Hinduism is a great spiritual religion. Hindutva is a political tract. Hindutva came only in 1923; for thousands of years before Hindutva, Hinduism faced trial and tribulation and yet survived, flourished, with no need of Hindutva protection. There is no way Gandhi's and Swami Vivekananda's Hinduism can be protected or promoted by Savarkar's Hindutva. While Savarkar wrote, Hindus understand themselves as Hindus through acts of violence. The Mahatma wrote, the Hindu has an old age civilisation. He is essentially non-violent. You've seen that Hindutva vigilantes beat up and even kill anyone suspected of hoarding, eating or transporting beef. While Gandhiji wrote, it is a denial of Hinduism and of Ahimsa to kill a human being to protect a cow,' Aiyar added.

The Calcutta Debating Circle hosted the debate on the topic 'Hinduism Needs Protection From Hindutva' at the Lawns, Calcutta Club on Sunday. Several prominent figures, including J. Sai Deepak, Mani Shankar Aiyar, Mahua Moitra, Ruchika Sharma, and Sudhanshu Trivedi, attended the event. (ANI)