Senior Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar sparked a fresh political controversy on Sunday after he said that Hindutva is “Hinduism in paranoia,” drawing a strong and immediate reaction from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Aiyar made these remarks during a debate on the topic “Hinduism Needs Protection from Hindutva,” which was organised by the Calcutta Debating Circle. The discussion took place on Sunday and brought together speakers from different backgrounds to speak on Hinduism, Hindutva and related issues.

At the event, Aiyar said that Hindutva is different from Hinduism and used vivid examples to explain his view. He said, “Hindutva is Hinduism in paranoia.” He added that Hindutva tries to make “80 per cent of Hindus quiver in front of 14 per cent of Muslims.”

Aiyar went on to describe Hindutva with an example, saying: “Hindutva is a BJP leader slapping a blind, hungry tribal girl because she attends a Christmas lunch in a Church.” He also said, “Hindutva raids shopping malls to tear down Christmas decorations.” These images were used by him to highlight what he said were extreme actions associated with the ideology.

The Congress leader also quoted Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, a key figure in the development of Hindutva ideology. Aiyar said Savarkar viewed Buddhism as a threat, and that he saw it as “the ultimate negation of Hindutva, bearing the opiate of universalism and nonviolence.” Aiyar continued, “He said it was disastrous to national virility and even the existence of the Hindu race.”

Aiyar stressed a clear difference between Hinduism and Hindutva. He said Hinduism is a long-standing spiritual faith that has survived many challenges over centuries. In contrast, he described Hindutva as a political concept that came much later. “Hinduism is a great spiritual religion. Hindutva is a political tract,” he said. “Hindutva came only in 1923; for thousands of years before Hindutva, Hinduism faced trial and tribulation and yet survived, flourished, with no need of Hindutva protection…”

Aiyar said there is no way that the Hinduism of leaders such as Mahatma Gandhi and Swami Vivekananda can be protected or promoted by what he called Savarkar’s Hindutva. He said Gandhi and Vivekananda represented a spiritual and peaceful Hindu tradition, which he felt was different from the political ideology of Hindutva. “There is no way Gandhi’s and Swami Vivekananda’s Hinduism can be protected or promoted by Savarkar’s Hindutva,” he added.

Aiyar’s remarks did not go without pushback. Speaking at the same event, Sudhanshu Trivedi, a Rajya Sabha member and BJP leader, strongly criticised Aiyar’s description of Hindutva. Trivedi argued that Hindutva is linked to the essence of Hindu identity itself. He said Hindutva represents “Hindu tattva,” which he called the basic core of Hinduism.

Trivedi questioned why people use the term Hinduism, saying, “Which culture gives you the authority to debate even on religious texts? It is only Hindu… I would like to ask why the term Hinduism? Why is ‘ism’ associated with all the religions which originated in India?” He pointed out that terms like “Islamism” and “Christianism” are not commonly used, and said that Hindutva should not be seen as something negative.

The BJP leader then made his own point about Hindutva and Hinduism. He said, “Another thing I would like to say, when you cherish Hinduism, it is called Hindutva.” He argued that caring for Hindu culture and tradition is the same as upholding Hindutva.

The controversy comes at a time when discussions around identity, religion, and politics continue to be deeply debated in India. Aiyar’s remarks on Hindutva revived differences between views of religion and political ideology. The strong response from BJP leaders highlights the continued sensitivity of these topics in public and political discourse.

Overall, the exchange highlighted the stark contrast in how different political voices by Aiyar describe Hindutva as political paranoia, while BJP leaders term it as a fundamental part of the Hindu identity.