BJP says Congress insulting Indian identity after MP's remarks on Sanskrit

New Delhi: The BJP on Friday slammed the Congress after its Lok Sabha MP Mohammed Jawed claimed that Sanskrit came from outside, and said this reflects the party's appeasement mindset and its habit of insulting Indian identity and civilisation.

The BJP's reaction came after a video clip, purportedly showing Jawed saying that Urdu originated in India, unlike Sanskrit and English.

In the video, Jawed, MP from Bihar's Kishanganj constituency, was purportedly heard saying, "In Bihar, Urdu is the second language. We will not allow the second language to be wiped out like this. We want Urdu, which is the language of the people of Hindustan and did not come from outside, to be preserved.


"Sanskrit came from outside, English came from outside. Hindi and Urdu are our languages; they originated in Hindustan."

Responding to the remarks, BJP spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari, in a post on X, said this thought can only come from those who do not believe in Sanatan.

"For those who regard Babur as their ideal, Sanskrit is a foreign language. Every Indian language belongs to India. This statement clearly reflects a mindset of appeasement," he said in a video post on X.

"They called the Ram Temple useless, and now they are calling Sanskrit a foreign language. Such thinking was characteristic of the Mughals. They consider invaders as their ideals and call Lord Shri Ram imaginary," he claimed.

Another BJP spokesperson, Shehzad Poonawalla, said the Congress has a history of insulting India, its identity and civilisation.

"We have seen not only Sam Pitroda saying that Indians look like Africans and Chinese, but now a Congress MP has claimed that Sanskrit came from outside. Everyone knows Sanskrit is an Indian language. It is a language of India and was born out of India's civilisational heritage," he said in a video statement.

Members of Congress whose leaders came from abroad -- a reference to Sonia Gandhi's Italian origin -- should stop claiming that Sanskrit came from outside India, Poonawalla said.

"Their leaders are imported, their party was formed by imported powers and foreign forces, by the British. They are making such claims. The Congress was formed by Allan Octavian Hume. It has had many foreign presidents.

"Sonia Gandhi herself came from Italy, and Rahul Gandhi loves to be abroad rather than in India. Maybe they should stop insulting Indian identity, Indian culture and Indian civilisation," he said.