Only a sick mind can do it [compare RSS to Simi].

Rahul equates RSS with SIMI, sparks war of words

 

Congress general secretary accuses Sangh Parivar of preaching hardline fundamentalist ideologies

 

Bhopal/ New Delhi/ Bhubaneswar: Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi equated the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) with banned terror outfit Students Islamic Movement of India (Simi) on Wednesday, saying they both preached "hardline fundamentalist ideologies". Gandhi's comments have evoked sharp reactions from RSS, BJP and Bajrang Dal.

When told that the radical Simi was a proscribed outfit, which was not the case with RSS, the Nagpur-headquartered right-wing group, Gandhi said, "Both these organisations preach fundamentalist ideologies. That's a fact. Nothing is going to change that."

Gandhi, who is currently touring BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh, said that people with hardline fundamentalist ideologies will not find a place in the Youth Congress.

Annoyed over being equated with Simi, RSS hit out at Gandhi saying he needs to learn more about the country. "He should brush up his knowledge before making meaningless statements. He should know the difference between RSS and banned outfits and know the history of the Congress, which has been accused of fundamentalism in the last six decades," RSS spokesperson Ram Madhav said.

Gandhi's comments also left the BJP fuming. "Only a sick mind can do it [compare RSS to Simi]. He seems to have lost his mental balance. RSS is an institution of nationalist thought, while Simi has been banned by their [Congress] government as it was banned by us when we were in power," BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar said.

Bajrang Dal has asked the Congress leader to withdraw "his statement against RSS" and has advised him to "to get his eye-sight examined" so that he is able to differentiate and discover who the real patriot was.

"Rahul Gandhi should get his eyes tested to spot the difference between a patriotic organisation and a terrorist outfit," Bajrang Dal national convenor Subhash Chouhan said in a statement.

Coming to Rahul's defence, AICC general secretary Digvijay Singh said, "What Rahul Gandhi has said is correct. RSS has no answer to what Gandhi has said…. It is time for RSS to do some introspection. Can they deny that Deven Gupta, involved in the Ajmer Sharif blast, is not from the RSS?"