Congress is a party of Hinduism, not Hindutva; I am a nationalist who respect all religions: Rahul

Agencies

October 31, 2018

Indore, Oct 31: Asserting that he does not need the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) ‘certificate’ to visit temples, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi said on Tuesday he understands the Hindu religion better than the saffron party does and he is a ‘nationalist leader’ who respects every religion.

“I am not a ‘Hinduwadi’ leader, but a nationalist leader. I am a leader of ev-ery religion, every caste, every language and every class,” Mr Gandhi said.A day after the BJP’s barb that Gandhi was ‘exhibiting fancy dress Hindui-sm’ with his temple visits in the poll-bound Madhya Pradesh and in other sta-tes earlier, the Congress leader retorted, “Are the country’s temples the sole property of the BJP and the RSS? Have only Modi and Shah got the contract to visit temples?”

Interacting with select journalists, Mr Gandhi said the BJP remains sile-nt whenever Prime Minis-ter Narendra Modi or the BJP president Amit Shah visit a temple wearing clothes as per that temp-le’s tradition. “But when Kamal Nath, Jyotiraditya Scindia and I wear clothe-s as per the temple’s tradition, it is said that we are exhibiting fancy dress Hi-nduism,” Mr Gandhi said.

Mr Gandhi had started his two-day tour of Madhya Pradesh on Monday after offering prayers at Ujjain’s famous Mahakaleshwar temple.

Hours after Mr Gandhi’s temple visit, BJP spokes-man Sambit Patra had alleged, “Rahul Gan-dhi is exhibiting fancy dress Hinduism continuo-usly. To mislead the Hind-us, he is sporting a “jane-u” (sacred thread) over the shirt. We demand that ‘janeudhari’ Rahul Gand-hi clarify to which ‘gotra’ (clan) does he belong to.”

Mr Gandhi said, “If I feel like going to a temple and offering prayers to God then I will definitely visit it. I don’t need a certificate from the BJP. I understand Hindu religion better than the BJP does.” Mr Gandhi said that he visits mosques, gurudwaras, churches and other places of worship as he respects every religion.

Describing Hinduism and Hindutva as two different concepts, Mr Gandhi said: “The foundation of the BJP’s Hindutva is based on hatred, anger, insecurity. Whereas the Hindu religion is based on self-confidence, self-belief, respect for others, listening to others and embracing others... so we [the Congress] are not a Hindutva party but a party of Hinduism,” he asserted. No one can claim sole ownership of Hinduism because it is a great concept, he added.

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Major facelift for Mangaluru's sporting heart: Mangala Stadium set for 2-month closure to upgrade synthetic track

News Network

December 15,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 15: Educational institutions in Mangaluru that rely on the popular Mangala Stadium for their annual sports events are bracing for an inconvenience as the city's key sporting venue is set to close its gates for a significant upgrade. The stadium is expected to be unavailable for approximately two months starting from January 15, 2026.

The closure is necessitated by a proposed overhaul of the stadium's facilities, with a special focus on upgrading the synthetic track. Pradeep Dsouza, Assistant Director of the District of Youth Empowerment and Sports (DYES), Dakshina Kannada, confirmed the development.

"Experts have visited the stadium, conducted a thorough inspection, and have given the go-ahead for a complete makeover," Dsouza stated. "Funds have been allocated for the project, and we are currently awaiting the final green signal from state officials to commence the work. We anticipate that the work will likely begin in the second week of January. Consequently, we have stopped renting out the stadium to colleges and other organizations in preparation for the upgrade."

The timing presents a logistical challenge for colleges, as many schools have already concluded their sports meets.

"Colleges will now be organizing their events and will need to find alternative locations to host their sports meets," Dsouza added. He suggested a few potential venues, including the Dakshina Kannada police ground, University College grounds, Panambur grounds, Swaraj Maidan in Moodbidri, and the Mangalore University sports grounds in Konaje.

However, many institutions note that finding a comparable venue will be difficult. While the DK police ground and University College grounds are closer to the city center, they do not possess the extensive facilities and infrastructure offered by Mangala Stadium.

Dr. P Dayananda Pai - P Satisha Govt First Grade College, Carstreet, is one such institution dependent on the stadium. Principal Jayakar Bhandary expressed hope for a swift completion of the work. "We expect the work to be completed at the earliest. If not, we will be forced to look for other venues to host the sports day for our students," Bhandary said, highlighting the pressing need for the city's main sporting facility.

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