India will never become a ‘Hindu Rashtra’ or an ‘Islamic Nation’ : Maulana Shahabuddin Razvi Bareilvi

The controversy over Hindu Rashtra statements made by Pandit Dhirendra Krishna Shastri and Swami Rambhadracharya at the Sanatan Maha Kumbha in Patna, Bihar

Bareilly (UP) – India is a democratic country. It will become neither a ‘Bhagwa-e-Hind’, nor a ‘Ghazwa-e-Hind’ (an Islamic conquest over non-believers). India will never become either a Hindu or Islamic nation – it is and will remain a democracy. These were the words of Maulana Shahabuddin Razvi Bareilvi, National President of the All-India Muslim Jamaat, who warned that statements like these could create unrest and fuel extremism. His comments came in response to recent speeches at the Sanatan Kumbha in Patna, Bihar, where Pandit Dhirendra Krishna Shastri and Swami Rambhadracharya Maharaj called for India to be declared a Hindu Rashtra.

Key points by Maulana Shahabuddin Razvi :

1. He claimed that both Shastri and Rambhadracharya tailor their statements to the political climate. With Bihar assembly elections approaching, all political parties are entering the fray, and their ‘Hindu Rashtra’ statements are a calculated political move.

2. Referring to Shastri’s statement that ‘If India becomes a Hindu Rashtra, it will begin from Bihar’, Razvi said this was aimed at religious polarisation—dividing Hindus and Muslims—to benefit a specific political party. He called it a strategic ploy.

3. Shastri also claimed that when India’s Hindu population reaches 80%, the country will be declared ‘Bhagwa-e-Hind’. However, as per Government data, Muslims already make up 19% of the population and non-Muslims 81%. Razvi argued this claim was made as a reaction to the slogan ‘Ghazwa-e-Hind’, but noted that Indian Muslims have already rejected that idea.

4. He warned that such statements by religious preachers could empower extremist ideologies. ‘How are their declarations different from those of radical elements?’ he asked, adding that this damages India’s global image and fosters fanaticism.

Editorial Perspectives

There is likely no Islamic scholar (Maulana) in India who does not secretly wish for an Islamic state. But in public, they project a neutral stance – denying that desire while also opposing the idea of a Hindu Rashtra. This is a tactical deception.