Following the vandalisation of the Congress leader Salman Khurshid's Nainital residence, he said that this attack is not on him but on the Hindu religion.
In an interview with ANI, Khurshid, who has also served as a Union Minister, said, "I have said (in my book) that people who do such things do not belong to the Hindu religion. Hindu religion is a beautiful religion that has given a fantastic culture to this country and I am proud of it. This attack is not on me but on Hindu religion. Whatever it takes, I will stand and protect it."
Earlier in the day, some people vandalised Khurshid's residence in Uttarakhand's Nainital after which the Kumaon police booked 21 people in connection with the case. Recently, the Congress leader had launched a book named 'Sunrise Over Ayodhya: Nationhood in Our Times' that draws a comparison between Hindutva and radical Islam.
Khurshid while speaking toreiterated that he is open to holding discussions on the matter with those targeting him for his book.
"I have said it everywhere that my door is open. Why do you need to come and leave your signature on my door with fire? Come and talk to me. Maybe I will change, maybe you will change. But conversation and dialogue is the basis of our life together," he said.
The Congress leader further said that he hoped that media would support him in this debate. However, he said that media was "more interested in propagating what the other people were doing."
Stressing on the need to hold a dialogue, Khurshid said, "We need to come together. This country cannot suffer this kind of divide, particularly in the name of religion."
Earlier today, Khurshid shared pictures and videos on Facebook and wrote, "I hoped to open these doors to my friends who have left this calling card. Am I still wrong to say this cannot be Hinduism?"
"So such is the debate now. Shame is too ineffective a word. Besides I still hope that we can reason together one day and agree to disagree if not more," he wrote in another post.
In a video, two people can be seen dousing out fire while the pictures show tall flames of fire and a charred door and shattered windows.
Condemning the incident, senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor termed it is "disgraceful" and called Khurshid a "statesman who has done India proud in international forums."
Khurshid got embroiled in controversy after he recently launched his new book. Several political leaders have condemned Khurshid for his new book including Union Ministers.
Two Delhi lawyers have filed complaints on Thursday with Delhi Police against Khurshid, for allegedly defaming and comparing Hinduism with terrorism in his book which was released last week.Advocate Vivek Garg in his complaint is seeking to file a case against Khurshid.
The complaint alleges that senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid has compared Hindutva to radical terrorist groups like ISIS and Boko Haram.
Meanwhile, advocate Vineet Jindal in his complaint said that the statement published in the said book is not only instigating and provoking but also stirring emotions among followers of the Hindu religion.
Khurshid's new book on the Ayodhya verdict was released last week. It explored the Apex Court's landmark judgment on the Ayodhya dispute. Senior Congress leader Khurshid has compared Hindutva to radical terrorist groups like "ISIS and Boko Haram".
The development comes at a time when seven states in the country namely Goa, Manipur, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, and Gujarat are slated to go for assembly elections next year.
( With inputs from ANI )
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