"Bhagwat should apologize, he hurt sentiments of people": Digvijay Singh on RSS Chief's remarks on "Independence"

"I condemn this statement as he had hurt the sentiments of people of the nation...He disrespected Mahatma Gandhi who dedicated his life to the freedom struggle, Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel...and all those who contributed to the freedom of the nation...It is an insult to all those who suffered during the freedom struggle...Mohan Bhagwat has disrespected them and he should apologise for this," Singh said while speaking to the media.

Mohan Bhagwat on Monday had said that the tradition of the country was one which started with Lord Ram, Krishna and Shiva. He said that Indian gained its true Independence on the day Ram temple was consecrated.

"What is our tradition of 5000 years? The one which started from Lord Ram, Lord Krishna and Lord Shiva," Bhagwat said while addressing a gathering at an event in Madhya Pradesh's Indore, adding, "The true independence of India, which had faced many centuries of persecution, was established on the day of Ram Temple's 'Pran Pratishtha' ceremony. India had gained independence but it was not established," he said.

Afterwards, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, while inaugurating the party's new headquarters 'Indira Bhawan,' hit out at the BJP and alleged that the Congress and other opposition parties were not just fighting the BJP but the Indian state itself.

"Our ideology like the RSS ideology is thousands of years old and it has been fighting the RSS ideology for thousands of years. Do not think that we are fighting a fair fight. There is no fairness in this. If you believe that we are fighting a political organisation called the BJP or RSS, you have not understood what is going on. The BJP and the RSS have captured every single institution of our country. We are now fighting the BJP, the RSS and the Indian State itself," he said.

The remarks by Lok Sabha LoP ignited criticism from the Opposition.

BJP leader Gaurav Bhatia on Wednesday trained guns on Rahul Gandhi after his "fighting the India State" remarks and said that India deserves a more responsible, faithful LoP.

"The nation feels hurt and led down by an irresponsible LoP Rahul Gandhi. India deserves a more responsible, faithful Leader of the opposition. Truly, it is our misfortune that we have a part-time and immature LoP who also happens to be guided by forces like George Soros and forces that are against the integrity of our country," he said. (ANI)