‘Not Me, You’re Calling Krishna’s Lessons to Arjun Jihad’: Shivraj Patil Clarifies, Says ‘Gandhi Killing too Jihad’

Amid the uproar over his remark linking jihad to Krishna’s lessons to Arjun, former Home Minister Shivraj Patil on Friday said it was not what he said, suggesting it was taken out of context, adding that ?in Hinduism, killing of any righteous person, even Mahatma Gandhi, is jihad?.

“In Hindu religion, killing any righteous person is jihad…The killing of Mahatma Gandhi is jihad…It is your duty and you have to perform it, Sri Krishna has said it. Will you call it jihad,? he asked.

?It is you who is calling it jihad. Would you call Krishna?s lessons to Arjun jihad? No, that is what I said,? he said, refusing to apologise, as he ?never made the statement?.

“Quran Sharif talks about One God, even Christianity talks about it…”

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), meanwhile, has hit out at the ?votebank politics? of the Congress. ?After AAP?s Gopal Italia & Rajendra Pal, not to be outdone in Hindu hatred & votebank politics, Congress? Shivraj Patil says Shri Krishna taught ?Jihad? to Arjun! Congress coined Hindu/Saffron terror, opposed Ram Mandir, Questioned Ram ji?s existence, said Hindutva = ISIS,? BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla tweeted.

Meanwhile, Congress?s Jairam Ramesh added to the clarification on Twitter. ?Incidentally, I learned Bhagavad Gita in my early teens and have had a life-long fascination with it as a cultural & philosophical text, with a profound influence on Indian society over the ages. I wrote about this in my book The Light of Asia: The Poem that defined the Buddha,? he wrote.

THE REMARKS THAT LED TO UPROAR

The remarks were made at a book launch event in the national capital on Thursday.

“It?s said there is a lot of discussion on jihad in Islam religion? Even after all efforts, if someone doesn?t understand clean ideas, then power can be used. It is not just in the Quran Sharif, but also in the Mahabharata, of which Gita is a part. Shri Krishna also talks to Arjuna about jihad. It is not like this is only in the Quran Sharif or the Gita but in Christianity also it is written?Christ has said that I have not come here to establish peace but I have come here with sword,? Patil said.

Speaking in Hindi, the Congress leader said that ?if even after explaining everything, people do not understand and they are arriving with weapons then you cannot run, you cannot call that jihad and you cannot call it wrong, this is what must be understood, there should not be this concept of making people understand with weapons in hand?.

Patil who was the Union home minister from 2004 to 2008 and the Speaker of the Lok Sabha from 1991 to 1996 was addressing the audience at a book launch of Congress leader and former Union Minister Mohsina Kidwai.

Among the other dignitaries present at the launch were Shashi Tharoor, Digvijaya Singh, Farooq Abdullah and Sushil Kumar Shinde.

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