Mani Shankar Aiyar: 'Hindutva Is Hinduism In Paranoia', BJP Accuses Congress Of Division

• Senior Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar stated Hindutva is 'Hinduism in a state of paranoia' at a Kolkata debate.
• Aiyar distinguished Hinduism as a spiritual tradition from Hindutva as a political ideology, claiming Hindutva promotes fear among Hindus.
• He argued Hinduism doesn't need Hindutva for survival and criticized its aggressive manifestations, citing Mahatma Gandhi vs. V D Savarkar.
• BJP spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari accused Congress of trying to divide Hindus for vote bank consolidation.
• Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra echoed Aiyar, while BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi defended Hindutva as the core essence of Hinduism.

Why It Matters: Mani Shankar Aiyar's 'Hindutva is paranoia' remark sparks political row, with BJP accusing Congress of division.