Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat said on Satuday, October 12, that Muslims in India are the happiest because of India's Hindu culture.
Addressing a gathering in Bhubaneswar, Bhagwat said that India was conceptually a Hindu nation, where people from other faiths had come to stay. He added that Muslims in India had forefathers who converted to Islam.
"If you ask them about their forefathers, then they will say they were Hindus. If you ask them about Qawali being prohibited in Islam, they will say it is allowed between Myanmar and Afghanistan," he said.
"There is no ritual of worshipping of mausoleum in Islam; they will say it is prevalent in India. A former Rajya Sabha MP once told me they might have become Muslim over the years due to some reason, but they have not been able to forsake the practice of singing Bhajans in the form of Qawalis and idol worshipping in the form of mausoleum," the RSS chief added.
He further said that "Hindu" is not a religion or a language, neither is it the name of a country. He said that "Hindu" is the culture of all those who live in India. It accepts and respects diverse cultures.
"When Jews were wandering, India was the only nation where they got shelter. The Parsis practise their religion freely only in India. The happiest Muslims are found in India. Why is it so? Because we are Hindus," he said.
Targeting the critics of his organisation, Bhagwat said that there are people who show annoyance at the continuous utterance of the word "Hindu".
"There are some who are cautious about their Hindu identity. When you ask them behind closed doors, then they will admit that they are Hindus. Because their interest are affected," said the RSS chief.
The RSS is set to hold a meeting of its highest policy-making body in Odisha between October 14 and 20.
