Srinagar: Vice-President of India Venkaiah Naidu, while releasing a book on late VHP chief Ashok Singhal wondered why some had a problem in chanting ‘Vande Mataram’. “If not your mother, who would you salute, Afzal Guru,” Naidu asked.
“Vande Mataram means salute to mother. What is the problem with it, if you don’t salute your mother, who would you salute, Afzal Guru),” media reports quoting the vice-president said on Friday.
He said when someone says “Bharat Mata ki jai” it is not only about some goddess in a photo. “It is about all 125 crore people living in this country irrespective of their caste, colour, creed and religion. They all are Indians,” Naidu said.
Mentioning the Supreme Court’s 1995 verdict on Hindutva which says it is not a religion but a way of life, he said, “Hinduism is not a narrow concept, it is a broader cultural connotation of India.” Hinduism is the culture and tradition of India which has been passed down generations, Naidu said.
Naidu attributed the non-violent nature of Indians to Hinduism saying, “Every Tom, Dick and Harry attacked India, ruled it, ruined and looted it, but India never attacked any country because of its culture.” Our culture teach us Vasudev Kutumbkam, that means the world is one family, he said.
