New Delhi, Nov 21 (IANS) In a sharp rebuttal to Yathindra Siddaramaiah's comments that making India a Hindu-majority nation would not benefit the country, BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi condemned the Congress MLC's remarks, defending the ideology of Hindutva as integral to India's soul.

Yathindra, who is the son of Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, had expressed concerns about the push to make India a 'Hindu Rashtra' during an event in Bengaluru on Wednesday. He said that making India a Hindu-majority nation would not benefit the country.

Quoting Bhimrao Ambedkar's vision of India as a secular nation, Yathindra warned that turning the nation into a 'Hindutva' state would be detrimental to its future. He further criticised political groups for attempting to convert India into a one-faith country, calling it a 'dangerous' trend that should not be allowed.

Talking to , Naqvi dismissed these claims, stressing that Hindutva embodies the 'soul of humanity,' transcending religious and cultural boundaries.

He accused those critical of Hindutva of having a mindset similar to the Taliban, attacking Hinduism, culture, and traditions.

"Hindutva is the soul of humanity, no matter the society or religion," Naqvi said, rejecting comparisons to extremist ideologies.

Naqvi also addressed allegations from the Samajwadi Party, which claimed that minorities, particularly Muslims in Uttar Pradesh were being denied their right to vote in the Assembly elections.

He said that such actions were harmful to democracy. However, he praised the resilience of voters who, despite challenges, exercised their democratic rights in large numbers.

Meanwhile, exit polls have predicted significant gains for the ruling BJP in the Uttar Pradesh bypolls, where voting was conducted on November 21 for nine Assembly seats.

Matrize has projected the BJP as winning seven seats, with the remaining two going to the Samajwadi Party (SP) led by former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav. Another survey by JVC predicts that the BJP will secure six seats, while the SP is likely to win three.