Congress leader Salman Khurshid's house in Nainital set on fire, vanadalised allegedly by right wing group

Congress leader Salman Khurshid’s house has been vandalized and parts of it have been set on fire allegedly by a right-wing mob allegedly belonging to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party. This attack comes a few days after his new book on Ayodhya drew parallels between Hindutva and radical Islamist groups.

Visuals shared by Khurshid on Facebook show charred and broken doors, flames and shattered window panes at his Nainital home. Two men are seen trying to douse the fire by throwing water. Another video shows the mob, which vandalized his home, chanting ‘Jai Shri Ram’, ‘Jai Bajrangbali’ and ‘Desh ki Gadaaron ko, goli maaro salon ko’ slogans in front of Khurshid’s house.

Sharing the visuals, the Congress leader said in a post, "I hoped to open these doors to my friends who have left this calling card. Am I still wrong to say this cannot be Hinduism?"

The former Union Minister has been under fire from extreme right wing members of the Sangh Parivar after the launch of his new book, 'Sunrise Over Ayodhya: Nationhood in Our Times'. At the centre of the controversy is a passage that reads, "Sanatan Dharma and classical Hinduism known to sages and saints were being pushed aside by a robust version of Hindutva, by all standards a political version similar to the jihadist Islam of groups like ISIS and Boko Haram of recent years."

Criticising the incident, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor tweeted that the mounting levels of intolerance in politics should be denounced by those in power.