Senior journalist Ashok Srivastava has strongly criticized the recent speech of the Samajwadi Party (SP) spokesperson on Hindutva. This discussion occurred on DD News channel’s Dotook program which is hosted by senior journalist Ashok Srivastava. The opposition party consistently targets Hindus but refrains from making similar comments about other religions. Despite repeatedly asking Samajwadi spokesperson Ashok Yadav about other religions, Yadav remained silent on the matter.
In his speech on Hindutva, Samajwadi spokesperson Ashok Yadav stated, “The Hindutva of the country is not like the one the BJP seeks.” Senior journalist Srivastava responded by saying, “It’s easy to claim that one version of Hindutva is different from another. You differentiate between Vivekananda’s Hindutva and the BJP’s Hindutva. But do you have the courage to make similar distinctions about Islam? Can you say what Owaisi’s Islam is, what Akhilesh Yadav’s Islam is, what Mulayam Singh Yadav’s Islam is, and what the Islam of terrorists spreading terror is? Criticizing Hindus has become a habit for all of you.”
Shrivastava further says, “Hindus are not violent, that’s why everyone easily says that Hindus are violent. If Hindus were violent, no one could have ever said this. Today you cannot say anything about Islam because if you say it, a group of people will stand in your house to behead you. But Hindus will never do that, that’s why you people are allowed to abuse Hindus.
Furthermore, Shrivastava emphasized that Hindus and Hindutva are unified. He challenged that if similar statements were made about Islam, there would be a strong reaction. Samajwadi Party spokesperson Ashok Yadav was repeatedly asked, ‘How many types of Islam are there?’ about 13 to 14 times, yet he refrained from commenting on other religions. Criticizing Hindus has become a habit for them because Hindus are known for their tolerance and non-violence.
This clip of the Dotook program was shared by senior journalist Ashok Shrivastava from his Twitter account. After watching the clip, viewers shared various reactions.