Not just in Quran but Lord Krishna taught lessons of Jihad to Arjun in Mahabharat: Cong veteran Shivraj Patil

New Delhi, Oct 20: Senior Congress and former Union home minister Shivraj Patil on Thursday claimed that the concept of jihad was not just in Islam but also in Bhagavad Gita and in Christianity.

Speaking at the launch of Congress veteran and former Union minister Mohsina Kidwai's biography, Patil said,''it is said there is a lot of discussion of jihad in the religion of Islam. ''Even after all efforts, if someone doesn't understand clean idea, power can be used, it's mentioned in Quran & Gita... Shri Krishna taught lessons of Jihad to Arjun in a part of Gita in Mahabharat,'' A video of former Lok Sabha Speaker and Union minister Patil's speech was shared by news agency ANI.

"If after explaining everything, people are not understanding, they are coming with weapons then you cannot run, you cannot call that jihad and you cannot call it wrong, this is what must be understood, there should not be this concept of making people understand with weapons in hand," he further said as reported by news agency PTI.

Patil further said Mohsina Kidwai's book also talks about respecting all religions while following your own. He also said there is a need for peace in the world.

Apart from Patil, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, Kidwai, Abdullah and Aiyar and Sushilkumar Shinde were also present at the launch event.

The BJP hit out at the Congress over Patil's remarks and accused it of playing vote bank politics.

Hitting out at the Congress over Patil's remarks, BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said in a tweet, "After AAP's Gopal Italia & Rajendra Pal, not to be outdone in Hindu hatred & votebank politics, Congress' Shivraj Patil says Shri Krishna taught 'Jihad' to Arjun! "Congress coined Hindu/Saffron terror, opposed Ram Mandir, Questioned Ram JI's existence, said Hindutva=ISIS," Poonawalla tweeted.