Salman Khurshid's book on Ayodhya will be banned : Madhya Pradesh BJP minister

New Delhi, Nov 12: Continuing his attack on Salman Khurshid's book on Ayodhya, Madhya Pradesh minister Narottam Mishra has now said that the controversial book will be banned in his state, while slamming the Congress for trying to divide the Hindus and country.

"I will consult law experts in Madhya Pradesh and get this book banned in the state," he said, accusing the Congress party of leaving no opportunity to divide Hindus into castes or divide the country. "Was Rahul Gandhi not the first to go to those who said 'Bharat tere tukde honge'? Salman Khurshid is working on the same agenda," NDTV quotes Mr Mishra as saying.

It was a reference to Congress leader Kanhaiya Kumar's five-year-old comment when he was a student at the JNU and he allegedly made those comments. He added, "What (former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister) Kamal Nath said - 'it's not 'mahan Bharat but badnam Bharat (not a great country but an infamous one)'. This is a part of the same thought process. They just want Hindus to get divided. It is a way to attack our faith. The Supreme Court said 'Hindutva' is a way of life... then what's there to question?"

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.

However, reacting to the controversy, Mr Khurshid told PTI, "I have not called these guys terrorists, I have just said they are similar in distorting religion. What Hindutva has done, it has pushed aside Sanatan Dharma and Hinduism and it has taken over a robust, aggressive position similar to Boko Haram and those other guys."

"I could not find anybody else that they could be similar to. I said they are similar to them, that's all, nothing to do with Hinduism. Hindutva, as portrayed by its proponents, is distorting religion," he added.