The Congress's student wing on Wednesday staged a protest march, demanding a ban on the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and action against its chief, Mohan Bhagwat.
Protesters of the National Students' Union of India (NSUI), who plan to march to Union Home Minister Amit Shah's residence, said Bhagwat's recent remarks that India got true independence after the consecration of Ram mandir in 2024 was "anti-national".
The march, led by NSUI national president Varun Choudhary, began from the organisation's headquarters in New Delhi.
On Wednesday, Bhagwat said the date Ram temple was inaugurated in Ayodhya should be celebrated as "Pratishtha Dwadashi" -- the "true independence" day of the country that faced "enemy attacks for several centuries".
He was speaking at an event in Indore where he presented the 'National Devi Ahilya Award' to Champat Rai, general secretary of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust -- which was tasked with the construction and management of the temple in Ayodhya.
The Congress reacted sharply to Bhagwat's remarks, with party leader Rahul Gandhi saying it amounts to treason and is an insult to every Indian. Speaking at the inauguration of the new Congress headquarters in Delhi, Gandhi also said that the fight against the RSS and the BJP was a "civilisational war".
"Do not think that we are fighting a fair fight. There is no fairness in this. If you believe that we are fighting like BJP or RSS, you have not understood what is going on. The BJP and RSS have captured every single institution in this country and we are now fighting the BJP, the RSS and the Indian state itself," he said. Gandhi's remarks triggered another row, with the BJP hitting out at the Congress leader for saying that he is "fighting the BJP, RSS and the Indian state".
BJP president JP Nadda alleged on X that it is not a secret that Gandhi and his ecosystem have close links with "urban naxals" and the "deep state" who want to "defame, demean and discredit" India.
"I 'compliment' Mr. Rahul Gandhi for saying clearly what the nation knows - that he is fighting the Indian state!" he said.
