Overview

• Rahul Gandhi referred to Lord Ram and other Hindu deities as 'mythological figures' during a lecture at Brown University in the US.
• BJP leaders, including Shehzad Poonawalla and Amit Malviya, condemned the remarks, labeling Gandhi and the Congress Party as 'anti-Hindu' and 'Ram drohi.'
• BJP spokespersons invoked the Congress-led UPA government's 2007 Supreme Court affidavit, which stated there was no historical proof of Lord Ram, as evidence of Congress's alleged disregard for Hindu beliefs.
• Pradeep Bhandari demanded that Congress rename itself 'anti-Hindu Congress,' accusing the party of consistently undermining Hindu sentiments.
• The controversy reignites broader political tensions between secularism and Hindu nationalism in Indian politics, with the BJP framing the Congress as hostile to Hindu traditions.