Elaborating on the concept of Hindu Rashtra, senior RSS leader J Nandakumar has said that citizens of the Hindu nation should place their country above religious affiliation.

“We are a nation that was founded as a cultural entity. The RSS believes that this country has always been a Hindu nation and will continue as a Hindu nation. This fact is not something that has to be proclaimed by the passing of a bill in Parliament. Also, the terminology doesn’t mean that the RSS wants to root out all other religious communities. In fact, that is against the very thought process of the RSS. We consider such a thought as a non-Hindu one,” Nandakumar said while speaking to the New Indian Express.

“Yes, of course. A person cannot be called a Hindu just because his name is Ram. Also, a person named Muhammad can’t be called a non-Hindu. A citizen of the Hindu nation should place his country above religious affiliation. However, the only condition to be a citizen of the Hindu nation is that if ever there comes a conflict between religion and nation, they have to be clear on which side they stand. The nation should come first!” the RSS leader said when asked, “Will people belonging to other communities, like Muslims and Christians, have the same rights as that of a Hindu in that Hindu Rashtra?”

When asked will a beef-eating Muslim or a Christian have a place in this Hindu nation, Kumar said, “Anyone can eat anything in this country. However, it is being used as a political weapon. Eating meat has never been a taboo in India. If you consider South India, the coastal belts and the northeast, meat is a staple. Now, if you are specifically indicating cow meat, then it should be understood why the protests happened. The cow has been considered a symbol of prosperity since ancient times. So care should be taken not to hurt the sentiments of those who consider the animal as something holy.”