Heptulla ‘confuses’ Hindi with Hindu, Congress hits out

Congress on Friday hit out at Minority Affairs minister Najma Heptulla for her reported remark that all Indians were ‘Hindus’ and said the issue was one of ‘mindset’.

‘The issue is not of semantics of ‘Hindu’ or ‘Hindi’. The issue is of mindset. Some people are becoming more loyal than the king... When a Cabinet minister says it, it raises questions. Is it the priority of the nation?’ said party spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi.

‘It is a mixture, a cocktail of Nagpur, Singhals, Giriraj Kishore. This cocktail is being manifested now,’ he added.

After her reported comment on all Indians being ‘Hindus’ stoked a controversy, Heptulla clarified that she had referred to Indians as ‘Hindi’, which she said was the Arabic term for people living in India.
Her remark was ‘not in relation to the religion but in relation to identity as nationality’, Heptulla has said.

Reacting to the matter, Congress leader Manish Tewari said that the minister should read the Constitution.

‘We respect Najmaji a lot, but it would be better if she reads the Constitution,’ Tewari said.