Rahul Gandhi’s Remark On Ram Is Political Suicide, Not Secularism

Did anyone hear him, or his family members, speak anything against Italy or would he dare use the same term for Jesus or Muhammad in front of a Western or Middle Eastern audience?

In a nation where “Jai Shri Ram” echoes from temples, rallies, and homes, Rahul Gandhi’s recent remark labelling Lord Ram as a “mythological figure” during his talk at the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs at Brown University is not just a misstep but a blatant insult. It was a calculated comment cloaked in intellectual arrogance, delivered on foreign soil, which suggest that Hindu beliefs are primitive relics unworthy of serious regard. He added that the BJP had “captured political power” and accused it of amassing vast amounts of wealth.

Rahul Gandhi was not engaging in theological analysis; he was auditioning for applause amid an elite Western liberal setting. For years, he has used international stages not to promote India’s civilisational depth, but to airbrush it into something palatable for postmodern academia.

At Brown, he slipped into that mode with ease, painting Lord Ram—a revered avatar of Vishnu, a hero of the Ramayana, and a spiritual anchor to millions—as a mere myth.

The Congress Party has a long, complicated history with Hinduism. Since the Nehruvian era, it has taken pride in “scientific temper,” often crossing the line into cultural self-loathing.

The Ram Setu case, in which the UPA government filed an affidavit doubting the existence of Ram, is not forgotten. Nor is the party’s silence during the Ram Mandir movement—when millions of Hindus were asking for recognition of their history and faith.

Rahul Gandhi’s latest comment is not a deviation from this path. It is the logical outcome of decades of ideological disdain masked as secularism or shall we say this is spiritual sabotage.

And the man behind it—a self-proclaimed Shiv Bhakt and Janeu Dhari during election season—has once again exposed the Congress party’s perennial failure to understand, respect, and align with the cultural core of India.

As an opposition party it should question the government and tear them into pieces on home ground and in Parliament if they were doing something wrong. But when on a foreign land one should not forget what we have been taught “Janani Janmabhumishcha Swargadapi Gariyasi.” This was written by sage Valmiki in Ramayan. According to Ramayan, after killing the evil Ravana, Lakshmana asks Rama if they can stay back in the beautiful Lanka, which, incidentally, was filled with gold that Ravan was very fond of and had a collection of such metals throughout the place making it a golden place.

For this, Rama answers….. THIS IS INCOMPLETE

Rahul Gandhi’s latest comment is not a harmless choice of words. “Mythological” in such contexts is not just descriptive—it is dismissive. It seems like fiction. It implies irrelevance. It implies that centuries of faith, literature, ritual, and philosophy built around Ram are based on fantasy.

Did anyone hear him, or his family members, speak anything against Italy or would he dare use the same term for Jesus or Muhammad in front of a Western or Middle Eastern audience? The answer is obvious. The political cost would be immediate and unforgiving. But when it comes to Hindu deities, Rahul and his ideological ilk believe they can say what they please without consequence despite losing most of the elections ‘Phataphat’ since 2014.

Lord Ram is not merely a religious symbol. He is a civilisational icon. In literature, he is the ideal king; in spirituality, he is the incarnation of divine order (Dharma); in politics, he has been a unifying symbol from Mahatma Gandhi’s “Ram Rajya” to modern Hindu identity movements.

He is worshipped in every corner of India—from Tamil Nadu to Kashmir and Gujarat to Assam. His name is whispered in funerals and sung in weddings. Children are named after him. Streets bear his name. Even our art, music, and dance overflow with references to his life and teachings. By reducing Him to “myth,” Rahul Gandhi has dismissed a living tradition that has shaped this subcontinent for over two millennia.

From a strategic perspective, this is a disaster. The Congress party has spent the last decade haemorrhaging Hindu support. In an effort to counterbalance the BJP, it leaned into minority appeasement and hollowed out its majority base. Then, realising the damage, Rahul Gandhi attempted a rebrand—showing up at temples, proclaiming his Brahmin lineage, claiming to be a Shiv Bhakt. But it was always performative, and now the mask has been torn apart.

By deriding Ram, he has not only negated his symbolic “temple runs” but has effectively confirmed BJP’s accusation: that Congress is uncomfortable with Hinduism. Worse still, he made this statement abroad—furthering the perception that he reserves his worst views about India for foreign audiences. Today’s Hindu voters are not silent spectators. They are not ashamed of their faith. They are politically mature, culturally assertive, and fed up with being treated as second-class stakeholders in a nation where they form the overwhelming majority. And Rahul Gandhi just gave them one more reason to never ever trust the Congress.

Being secular doesn’t mean being anti-Hindu. It doesn’t require a leader to mock religious traditions or speak with academic detachment about figures when they are loved, revered, and followed by millions of people. True secularism is based on respecting all religions and not contempt for one.

If Rahul Gandhi believes that India must be secular, then he should begin by treating Hinduism with the same respect and deference he shows toward other faiths. That means not reducing its gods to literary metaphors or its beliefs to punchlines in foreign lectures. Otherwise, it isn’t secularism—it’s selective disdain. In a nation deeply rooted in faith, culture is not separate from politics. It is interwoven into identity, belonging, and nationhood.

By insulting Ram, he has insulted Ramayan. By insulting Ramayan, he has insulted Valmiki. And by extension, he has insulted every household that sees in this story not just a narrative but dharma—a guide to life. This is not just about theology. It’s about memory, tradition, ancestry, and the stories we tell our children.

Rahul Gandhi’s political career has been marked by inconsistency, confusion, and contradiction. The present times may be the most revealing of all. He wants the votes of Hindu India, but not its gods.

He claims spiritual ancestry, but insults spiritual heritage.

He demands to lead India, while consistently misrepresenting what India truly stands for.

And in doing so, he positions himself not as a visionary leader, but as one who is disconnected from the very people he claims to represent.

India is not a secular experiment drawn up in a Western textbook. It is a living civilisation shaped by gods, stories, temples, and traditions. Leadership here demands not just competence—but cultural intuition, spiritual respect, and emotional intelligence.

His dismissal of Lord Ram as “mythological” is more than a bad quote. It is a testament of how inept he is to lead a nation whose heart he neither understands nor values.

You cannot insult a civilisation and expect it to vote for you. You cannot mock its gods and expect its blessings. Faith is not fiction.

At this juncture one can only say, “Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram Sab Ko Sanmati De Bhagwan.” Moreover, whether he likes it or not, Mahatma Gandhi used to sing praises of the same Ram whom Rahul called mythological figure.

(The author is former Chief Editor of Hans India)