BJP Slams Hamid Ansari Over ‘Indian Lootera’ Remark on Mahmud of Ghazni
Party accuses Congress ecosystem of glorifying invaders and whitewashing historical atrocities
- BJP slams former Vice President Hamid Ansari over Ghazni remarks
- Sudhanshu Trivedi calls comments a “sick mindset”
- BJP alleges Congress ecosystem glorifies anti-Hindu invaders
- Leaders link row to broader narrative on historical interpretation
GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 30th Jan: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday strongly criticised former Vice President M Hamid Ansari over his remarks describing Mahmud of Ghazni as an “Indian lootera”, accusing the Congress and its ecosystem of romanticising foreign invaders and glorifying anti-Hindu tyrants.
BJP national spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi said Ansari’s comments reflected what he termed a “sick mindset” and accused a section of the political spectrum of attempting to rewrite history to sanitise the actions of historical plunderers.
The BJP’s reaction came after Ansari was heard in an interview saying that figures portrayed as foreign invaders in history books, including Mahmud of Ghazni, were actually “Indian looteras”. “They didn’t come from outside. Politically, it’s convenient to say that they destroyed this and that. But they were all Indians,” Ansari was quoted as saying.
Sharing the video clip on X, BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla alleged that Ansari was “eulogising” Ghazni, who is historically associated with the destruction and desecration of the Somnath temple. He accused the Congress ecosystem of opposing initiatives linked to Somnath and of whitewashing the actions of rulers like Aurangzeb.
“They oppose Somnath Swabhiman Parv and sanitise the actions of those who committed atrocities on Hindus,” Poonawalla said, alleging that such narratives undermine India’s civilisational history.
Another BJP spokesperson, Pradeep Bhandari, also attacked the Congress, calling it a “Modern India Muslim League” and accusing it of glorifying invaders such as Aurangzeb and Babur while downplaying their historical actions.
Sudhanshu Trivedi further said it was unfortunate that a former Vice President made such remarks, asserting that Mughal rulers governed in the name of external religious authority. He argued that attempts to portray historical invaders as indigenous figures distorted established historical understanding.
“This kind of thinking associates India with looters and reflects a defeated mindset,” Trivedi said, adding that what he described as the influence of “Mughal, Macaulay and Marx” had shaped such narratives.
The controversy has triggered sharp political reactions, with the BJP framing the issue as part of a larger debate over historical interpretation and national identity.