The BJP claimed on Friday that the Congress leadership nurses "pathological hatred" for Hinduism as it hit out at Rahul Gandhi for his criticism of Hindutva, saying it is at his behest that Congress leaders like Salman Khurshid, Shashi Tharoor and P Chidambaram have allegedly targeted the religion.

BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra attacked Gandhi after the Congress leader sought to draw a distinction between Hinduism and Hindutva, a term widely used by the RSS, and alleged that the RSS-BJP ideology was about spreading hate. Patra alleged that Gandhi has a history of making critical comments about Hinduism and its culture.

It is in the character of the Congress and the Gandhi family to attack Hinduism at every opportunity, he said. Citing terms like Hindu Pakistan, Hindu Taliban and saffron terror used by Congress leaders Tharoor and Chidambaram, he said they make these remarks at Gandhi's behest. He also referred to Digvijay Singh and Mani Shankar Aiyar in this context.

"What they say is not a coincidence but an experiment. And the headmaster of this experimental lab is Rahul Gandhi.... There is a pathological hatred for Hinduism among Congress leaders, and they get traction for this from the Gandhi family," he alleged.

Patra also referred to a comment of Rahul Gandhi, which had found a mention in the WikiLeaks in 2010, that Hindu extremist groups could pose a bigger danger to India than Islamic terror organisation and some other remarks to attack him.

Gandhi had linked atrocities against women to Indian culture, he claimed. The BJP's attack on Gandhi came a day after the ruling party had slammed the opposition party over its leader Salman Khurshid comparing Hindutva with the jihadist Islam of terrorist groups such as ISIS and Boko Haram in his latest book.

It is clear that Khurshid has also endorsed what Rahul Gandhi has been saying, Patra said. People of India will never forgive the Congress, he said. Gandhi on Friday said his party's ideology is like a "beautiful jewel" with an unending power inside it, but it has been overshadowed by the BJP, and maintained Hindu and Hindutva are different concepts.

Gandhi was addressing online a four-day 'AICC orientation programme' organised at Sevagram Ashram in Wardha in Maharashtra. Congress representatives from across the states are participating in the programme.

Patra said seeking apology from him would be irrelevant. The Congress leader, he alleged, has violated constitutional tenets with his remarks that spread "hate" in society.

The Congress, he said, had also tried to delay the court hearing in the Ram temple case and had, when in power, questioned the existence of Lord Ram.

To a question about the Congress drawing a distinction between Hinduism and Hindutva, Patra shot back, "Can they talk on similar lines about other religions? Of course not. They cannot talk of similar issues in any other religion. The question is why do they talk ill of Hinduism all the time."