Mumbai, Oct 23 (PTI) Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam Tuesday alleged that cases of "mob lynching and love Jihad" have gone up under the watch of Narendra Modi government.

Speaking during a panel discussion at 'Mumbai Manthan' organised by news channel Aaj Tak, Nirupam said the Congress didn't follow any "soft Hindutva" as being claimed by the BJP.

Nirupam, BJP (Bhartiya Janata Party) spokesperson Sambit Patra and Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Abu Azmi held a discussion on 'Rule and Divide'--the role of religion in politics--at the event.

"The Congress is neither against religion nor temples. The Congress doesn't follow anything called 'soft' Hindutva as claimed by the BJP," the Mumbai Congress president said.

"The cases of mob lynching (by cow vigilantes) and 'love jihad' have increased under Modi government, which shows how minorities are being treated in the country," he said.

Countering Nirupam, Patra said the Congress had a leadership issue.

"There is nothing called soft Hindutva. (Congress president) Rahul Gandhi is a confused Hindu," he said.

SP leader Abu Asim Azmi asked, "Will Congress give justice to victims of the 1992 Mumbai communal riots by punishing the culprits whose names are mentioned in the Srikrishna Commission report?

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)