What reference did Hamid Ansari give regarding Hindu right-wing on which Yogi and Owaisi spoke

What reference did Hamid Ansari make regarding Hindu right-wing communalism, which Yogi and Owaisi said? Yogi Adityanath, the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, and several BJP leaders have called a statement by India's former Vice President Hamid Ansari on communalism as an 'insult' to Hinduism. In a program held in Noida on Sunday, Yogi Adityanath said, "Mr. Hamid Ansari, who has completed his five-year term as Vice President of India, gave a statement yesterday. This was a very unfortunate statement." Several leaders, including the Deputy Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Keshav Prasad Maurya, BJP leader Shahnawaz Hussain, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, and many people associated with the Vishwa Hindu Parishad have criticized Hamid Ansari's statement. Former Vice President Ansari mentioned some parts of A.G. Nurani's book 'The RSS: A Message to India' during an A.G. Nurani Memorial Lecture in Delhi on Friday. A.G. Nurani was a constitutional expert and a renowned jurist. He passed away in 2024 at the age of 93 and had written books on many issues including the partition of India, Kashmir, human rights, the war with China, and right-wing communalism. Hamid Ansari lectured on A.G. Nurani's work and quoted from his book, which mentioned Jawaharlal Nehru's warning about the danger of 'Hindu right-wing communalism'. What did Yogi Adityanath and BJP leaders say? BJP leader and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath alleged that 'this statement is part of the agenda to tarnish India's image.' He said, "Yesterday I was watching the statement of a person who held an important constitutional post in India. Some people have the tendency to fail in maintaining the dignity of their position. Behaving contrary to that dignity has become a part of their life. Mr. Hamid Ansari, who has completed his term as Vice President of India, gave a statement yesterday. This was a very unfortunate statement." "His statements were truly frightening. They were against India, Indian culture, and Indian tradition. These statements are part of the agenda to tarnish India's image worldwide, which anti-India forces are constantly pushing." CM Yogi said, "He made statements completely criticizing India's Sanatan tradition, insulted India's Hindu tradition, and also tried to link it with terrorism." He also said, "India and the Constitution of India expect that a person holding an important constitutional post always behaves in accordance with the dignity of that post. Their personal opinions may be different. But when it comes to India, their contribution should be supreme while upholding the sanctity of the Indian Constitution for the unity and integrity of India." The Deputy Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Keshav Prasad Maurya called Hamid Ansari's statement 'inappropriate and unacceptable'. He told the news agency ANI, "The Hindu society works to accept everyone, respect everyone, and work in harmony with everyone. Such statements spread animosity and feelings of hatred. But Mr. Hamid Ansari, who was the Vice President of the country, sometimes made such statements which are improper. This will not be accepted." BJP leader Syed Shahnawaz Hussain has demanded an apology from Hamid Ansari. He said, "Hamid Ansari was born into a Muslim family and later became the Vice President of India. His recent comment is unfortunate and in my opinion, many people from the Muslim community have been hurt by it." "India is moving forward under the vision of 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas'. Muslims are progressing in education and competitive exams. We are living in a peaceful and riot-free environment. I believe that Hamid Ansari should apologize for his comment." Vinod Bansal, National Spokesperson of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, criticized the former Vice President's statement and said, "Today he points out shortcomings in the majority Hindu society. This is the society that respected and accepted him." What did Owaisi say? AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi defended Hamid Ansari who is facing criticism. On Sunday, he told ANI in Lucknow, "He comes from a very prestigious family, which played an important role in the freedom of the country. Hamid Ansari served the country well while in the Indian Foreign Service." "He is a scholar. You may disagree with him, but if someone questions his scholarship by saying that he does not love the country, I do not believe this at all." Waris Pathan, leader of AIMIM in Maharashtra, said, "He was the former Vice President. You can see what is happening. The BJP has started 'Operation Muslim' and 'Operation Masjid'. Muslims are being targeted in every way. Our mosques are demolished and they are not given time to go to the High Court. Our mosques and madrassas are targeted by giving notices everywhere. Restrictions are being imposed everywhere." Waris Pathan alleged, "The BJP government has started a war against Muslims. See where they are taking the country. And let's talk about Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas. How is this trust achieved?" Meanwhile, Imam Umar Ahmed Ilyasi, the head of the All India Imam Organization, condemned Hamid Ansari's statement. He said, "I strongly condemn the statement made by Hamid Ansari on behalf of Muslims. Hamid Ansari now wants to enter politics on behalf of Muslims, but when he was in high positions, Muslims did not come to mind to him." "Today when Muslims are not asking about him, they feel that he should use the name of Muslims for politics. But Muslims are sensible. They understand these kinds of statements and his intentions. I think this is a big conspiracy or plan to spoil the atmosphere of the country through such rhetoric." What did former Vice President Hamid Ansari say? Former Vice President Hamid Ansari had delivered a lecture at the A.G. Nurani Memorial Lecture at the India Islamic Cultural Center in New Delhi on September 18th. He mentioned A.G. Nurani's work and said, "A book - 'The RSS: A Message to India' was published in 2019. The verse written in the first line of the introduction of the book by Nurani accurately captures his description of Muslim sentiment in India today." "Sarzamin-e-Hind par aqwam-e-aalam ke, firaq Qafile aate rahe aur Hindustan banta gaya Aur Jab Gulistan ko lahu ki zarurat padi, sabse pehle hamari hi gardan kati Phir bhi kehte hain humse ye ahal-e-chaman, ye chaman hai hamara, tumhara nahin" Hamid Ansari further said, "In the introduction of this book, he mentioned a saying of Jawaharlal Nehru in a meeting of Foreign Ministry officials. This was recorded by the then Foreign Secretary Gundevia for the future. I quote those words: 'Danger to India, beware, not Communism, but Hindu right-wing communalism'." Published by Collective Newsroom for BBC.