"Tolerance is soul of Hindutva": Maharashtra CM Fadnavis backs Mohan Bhagwat's 'Hindu-Muslim unity' remarks

Nagpur (Maharashtra) [India], August 30 (ANI): Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis backed RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat's remarks in the US, calling "tolerance" the soul of the Hindutva ideology.
During his address in New York, Mohan Bhagwat on Saturday said that "if any Hindu thinks that there should be no Muslim in Bharat, he will not remain Hindu".
Speaking to reporters in Nagpur, Fadnavis welcomed Bhagwat's remarks and said that Hindus have assimilated people coming to India due to the virtue of tolerance. However, he asserted, "If someone attacks you, there must certainly be a counter-response; however, a Hindu never initiates an attack."
The Chief Minister said, "We never comment on what Mohan Bhagwat says. However, the principle being discussed here is absolutely correct. What is the soul of Hindutva? Tolerance. Hindu civilisation is the oldest in the world, and the reason for its endurance is that we kept our core values so strong; despite facing invasions from across the globe, we withstood them with tolerance and even assimilated many of those invaders into our own cultural stream."
"Furthermore, India embraced those rejected by the rest of the world. That is why I always say: do not try to teach Hindus about religious tolerance. Tolerance runs in the blood of Hindus, and it is a fundamental aspect of Hindutva. If someone attacks you, there must certainly be a counter-response; however, a Hindu never initiates an attack," he added.
On Saturday, Bhagwat remarked, "If any Hindu thinks that there should be no Muslim in Bharat, he will not remain Hindu. If you want to call yourself Hindu, you must believe that all paths are leading to the same goal and that every human has dignity. There is no difference between human beings."
Meanwhile, the opposition leaders have asked Bhagwat to repeat these remarks when he is back in India.
CPI General Secretary D Raja on Sunday said that if Bhagwat was "honest and truthful", he should repeat the same statement in India.
Congress leader Rashid Alvi said, "The first question is: why is there a need to go to America to say this? If there is no issue between Hindus and Muslims within India, then what is the sudden need to go there and speak about it? This implies that a problem does exist." (ANI)