Former Vice President Hamid Ansari has once again come under political criticism over remarks related to medieval ruler Mahmud of Ghazni.
A political controversy has emerged over Ansari’s statement describing Mahmud of Ghazni as an “Indian plunderer.” The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) launched a sharp attack on the Congress, alleging that the party and its ecosystem glorify foreign invaders and praise figures accused of targeting Hindu religious sites. The BJP questioned whether the Congress leadership and the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, agree with presenting a ruler accused of destroying Hindu temples and killing thousands in a different light.
In an interview, Ansari said that figures such as Mahmud of Ghazni, who are described in history books as foreign invaders and plunderers, were in fact “Indian plunderers” and had not come from outside. He stated that while it is politically easy to say they caused destruction, they should be viewed within an Indian context.
Reacting to the remarks, the BJP said the statement distorted historical facts and amounted to indirect glorification of foreign invaders.
BJP national spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi said that describing attackers such as Mahmud of Ghazni as Indian reflected what he called a “distorted mindset.” He alleged that the Congress and its ideological framework praise rulers who destroyed Hindu religious places and plundered India. Trivedi described this outlook as the result of what he termed the “three Ms—Mughal, Macaulay and Marx.”
The BJP also said that just as British viceroys represented the British Crown, Mughal rulers represented foreign powers, and portraying them as Indian amounted to injustice to history.
The party raised direct questions to the Congress leadership and Rahul Gandhi, asking whether they agreed with statements related to a figure accused of demolishing Hindu temples and killing thousands. The BJP said such remarks misrepresent history and contribute to social division.
BJP leader Shehzad Poonawalla shared a video of Ansari’s statement on social media platform X and alleged that the Congress ecosystem repeatedly seeks to justify historical figures accused of atrocities against Hindus. He referred to the destruction of the Somnath temple and the actions of rulers such as Aurangzeb, accusing the Congress of maintaining what he described as an anti-India mindset.
BJP leader C R Kesavan said that from the eighth century to the Mughal period, Hindu religious sites were systematically targeted. He questioned whether the Nehru-era Congress, which he said had once opposed the reconstruction of the Somnath temple, continued to agree with statements that he alleged sought to normalise such actions.
Pradeep Bhandari accused the Congress of glorifying rulers such as Babur and Aurangzeb, describing the party as an “modern Indian Muslim League.”
