Tolerance is the soul of Hindutva: Devendra Fadnavis

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said tolerance is the “soul” of Hindutva while endorsing RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s remarks on Hinduism’s inclusive nature. Fadnavis stressed that tolerance means respecting all religions but does not imply failing to resist attacks

Nagpur: A day after RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat stressed the inclusive nature of Hinduism, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday said that tolerance is the “soul” of Hindutva. But tolerance did not mean one should not respond to attacks, he said, speaking to reporters here. Addressing the One World: One Humanity Faith Leaders Summit in New York, Bhagwat said that “if any Hindu thinks that there should be no Muslims in Bharat, he will not remain Hindu.” Asked for his reaction, Fadnavis said, “We never comment on what RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat says.”

But the principle (stated by Bhagwat) was absolutely correct, the Maharashtra Chief Minister said. “Because what is the soul of Hindutva? It is tolerance. This is the world’s oldest civilization….And the reason is that we kept our values so strong that even after invasions from around the world, we endured them with tolerance,” he said.

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Hinduism absorbed invaders in its flow and also included in its culture those who had been “rejected” by the outside world, may it be the Jews or “our brothers who came from Iran”, Fadnavis added. “That is why I always say, do not teach religious tolerance to Hindus. Tolerance is in the blood of Hindus. One important meaning of Hindutva is tolerance,” he said.

Tolerance does not mean “taking blows without responding”, he further said, adding that it means treating everyone equally. “And we should give respect to all religions. That is what Hindutva has taught us. If someone attacks you, they must be resisted. But a Hindu never attacks first. You will have seen that a Hindu always tries to move forward by including everyone,” the chief minister said.