Political Row Over Hamid Ansari’s Remarks

Former Vice President Hamid Ansari has triggered a political debate after citing a reported observation attributed to former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru that the danger to India was not communism but Hindu right-wing communalism. Ansari made the remarks at an event in New Delhi commemorating constitutional expert and author A.G. Noorani, while referring to Noorani’s 2019 book, The RSS: A Menace to India. Ansari said Noorani had cited the observation from records attributed to former Foreign Secretary Jagat Singh Gundevia.

Ansari also expressed concern over what he described as a shift from civic nationalism towards cultural nationalism, arguing that such developments could affect the principle of equal citizenship. He said such trends should be contested through legal and political means. The remarks drew criticism from BJP leaders, including its Scheduled Tribe Morcha, which accused the Congress of pursuing what it called “anti-Hindu politics” and referred to earlier remarks by Rahul Gandhi. The exchange has renewed political discussion around secularism, nationalism and the role of religious identity in Indian politics.