Congress ideology is alive, vibrant but overshadowed by BJP-RSS: Rahul Gandhi

New Delhi, Nov 12: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said on Friday said that the 'ideology of the Congress is alive and vibrant', but has been overshadowed by the 'hateful' ideology of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) combine.

Addressing the launch of the party's digital media campaign for its upcoming Jan Jagran Abhiyan, Rahul said "Today, whether we like it or not, the hateful ideology of the RSS and BJP has overshadowed the loving, affectionate and nationalistic ideology of the Congress party. Our ideology is alive, vibrant, but it has been overshadowed."

"What is the difference between Hinduism & Hindutva, can they be the same thing? If they're the same thing, why don't they have the same name? They're obviously different things. Is Hinduism about beating a Sikh or a Muslim? Hindutva of course is," Rahul Gandhi was quoted saying by news agency ANI.

"Our ideology has been overshadowed because we've not propagated it among our own people aggressively," Congress leader Rahul Gandhi added during a training program of 'Jan Jagran Abhiyan' via video conferencing.

Rahul Gandhi has been vocal critic of the BJP and the RSS.

It may be noted that Rahul's comment comes a say after Salman Khurshid reportedly comparing Hindutva with the jihadist Islam of terrorist groups such as IS and Boko Haram in his latest book.

On Wednesday, Salman Khurshid's book 'Sunrise Over Ayodhya: Nationhood in Our Times' was launched by former Union ministers Chidambaram and Digvijaya Singh.

The book has sparked off controversy for asserting that Hindutva has pushed aside "Sanatan Dharma" and Hinduism and taken an aggressive position similar to Boko Haram and the likes.