Reality Challenged RSS Rascals
Sid Harth
Fanatics in RSS
Sir, - Of late, it has become a fashion to flaunt chauvinism to prove
our worthiness of being ``Hindu'', more so by some sympathisers of the
RSS and its Parivar. While Hinduism has its own inherent strength to
survive from external onslaughts, some of the RSS sympathisers, by
their overzealous attempts, behave more fanatically than a true devoted
Hindu, who follows all tenets of Hinduism and imbibes the trait of
tolerance which is its main essence.
I am also an RSS `swayamsevak' since childhood days, and also have a
little knowledge of the essence of Hinduism. There are many fanatics in
the RSS, who have no ``yearning'' to understand Bhagavad Gita or Vishnu
Sahasranama or the rituals. I may incidentally cite an instance during
``Shaka'' time years back - I said ``If Nehru makes a mistake, it is a
mistake, if Guruji makes a mistake it is also a mistake.'' Immediately
the ``Karyavaha'' pounced upon me and started arguing ``Yes, Nehru
makes a mistake and not Guruji''. I repeated that ``If Guruji makes a
mistake, it is a mistake'' and in spite of my saying, he continued to
``beret and belt'' me for my ``tongue wagging.''
Having served in different responsible positions in different wings of
the RSS and having a wide contact intimately from top to bottom in and
out of the RSS outfits, I can authoritatively say that it is
unfortunate that while a large number of Hindus are devout without a
tinge of fanaticism, some of the half-baked RSS swayamsevaks behave
like the ``power of attorney holders'' of the entire ``Vishwa Hindus''.
It is these fanatics, because of their overbearing attitude of ``pseudo
Hinduism'', are erratic and propagate their own ``Hindu agenda'', which
is the main cause of rivalry with other Hindu brethren. A fanatic RSS
man, who proclaims, Garv se kaho main Hindu hun and even those big
leaders like ``Atalji'' who exhibit Hindutva (?) by speaking in Hindi,
even when his listeners want him to speak in the language they are good
at, end up exhibiting only their ``north Indian Hindi chauvinism'' and
not patriotism. A Hindu whose mother tongue is not Hindi, but is well
versed in English, has a right to demand from the PM that he speak in
English, because he wants to understand the PM's speech in the language
he is familiar with.
K. N. Bhagavaan,
Bangalore
http://www.aunet.org/ramesh/ramesh39.html
What The Hindu Fanatics Say And What We Say
By Ramesh Mahadevan
Is it me or is it really happening ? Finally, more and more of the
secular, middle-of-the-road folks are writing on the SCI. The noise
generated by the langot-brigade on the net seems to be coming down a
few decibels. We all owe a big thanks to the relentless efforts of
people like Vijay Fafat and Balaji Kannan (and Bijoy Sagar, Shiva et
al) for dealing with the fanatics and their illogic, post for post and
still managing to make hilarious posts.
Mr (or is it Ms ?) Indu Sekhar, I enjoy your lucid arguments with choke
full of logic. You must be truly gifted. A quick existential question
for you. Are you yourself or are you a parody of yourself ? I know you
have the inalienable right to say whatever you have to say. The next
time you are in a movie theatre, I won't be surprised if you
yell 'Fire' (or 'commie' if you so choose) even if there is no fire.
You are a fine example of a person using his freedoms to the fullest
while trying to deny them to your fellow-citizens.
I am duty-bound to fight bigotry. Gosh, in this age of highly
synthesized Political Correctness, how can ordinary people like Indu
and Gokhale spew such bigotted statements and believe it is okay ?!
I have always maintained that the only way to deal with fanaticism is
to attack it and ridicule the fundies, because there is no point
reasoning with them. So here is a laundry list of 'Hindutva Syllogism'
and doublespeak that routinely appear on the bboard and what we, the
normal, majority Hindus say in response.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------
(1) What the Hindu fanatics say: "Bash the Muslims. Muslims bombed the
World Trade Center, Muslims are trouble whereever they go, from West
Asia to Bosnia to Indonesia. Muslims caused the fourteenth century
problems, fifteenth century problems and so forth. Muslims are the
reason for Hindu insecurity and the reason why so many Hindus are
suffering from lower back pain these days. Hey, a healthy Hindu
fanaticism depends on Muslim bashing."
What we say: "We know your sneaky techniques. You are trying to play on
the irrational Muslim-phobia that exists in some segments of the
American population. It won't work, because people are not naive to
believe in blanket statements about 'Muslims'. Or for that matter about
other religions. Just read the Associated Press news releases that are
posted on this newsgroup by Bala of A. T and T. They clearly
distinguish between Hindu fanaticism and all Hindus. What is happening
is not a Hindu-Muslim religious struggle, but a simple fanaticism vs
Secularism struggle."
(2) What the Hindu fanatics say: (Oakian historical proof
technique) "Taj Mahal is Tejo Mahalay, the Oak Ridge lab is actually
the birthplace of Sri Oak, the ancestor of Sri. P. N. Oak."
What we say: "Under this technique nothing is impossible to prove. The
Aryans could have either migrated from the North Pole or sat on their
asses all years in their living rooms in India. You choose what you
want to be the history. In fact, Oak should change his name to P. N.
Joke or PJ for short."
(3) What the fanatics say: "commie, commie" or its variation "COMMIE,
COMMIE."
What we say: "This is just an extension of your Muslim bashing
technique. You are hoping to play on the fear of communism, although
you don't realize that the threat of communism is greatly diminished -
to almost nil. The Russians are becoming capitalists, the Chinese have
stock markets and Jyoti Basu is courting NRIs to start industries in
his state. Don't worry, your children are safe. Where had you been all
these years ? So who is going to fall for your arguments on communism ?
If the communists did not succeed in India, some fifty years ago, when
casteism, colonialism and Zamindari systems were creating an ideal
Marxist revolutionary climate, why would they be successful now ? What
is wrong if the so-called communists ask the right questions along with
us capitalists ? If the communists also want to stop Hindu fanaticism,
may the force be with them. Calling Sanjeev Mahajan a commie or his
mother a commie, will not get you one convert. McCarthy has been dead,
you know. You might as well have called Mahajan something obscene.
Do us a favor. Take an elementary course in Sociology. And while you
are at it, take a course in Philosophy of Science and read Kant, Popper
and others before discussing Vedic science."
(4) What the fanatics say: "Even Swamy Amritrajananda says that Hindu
fanaticism is great. He is a great scholar on Gita and so he should
know everything - even about programming in C++ language. Even the
French folks want Hindutva, only they call it 'Hindutoir'. 'Murphy
Brown' has endorsed Sprint company. So we should all switch to Sprint."
(The 'Big name endorsement' argument)
What we normal Hindus say: "Even if Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King
and Mahatma Gandhi all told us that secularism is bad and Hindu
fanaticism is good, we will not go "Jeez, we are wrong and you are
right. Now we are convinced". Sure, we will be influenced by great
thinkers but not by fanatical statements coming out of a Swamy who
knows his Gita well."
(5) What the Hindu fanatics say: "Don't pick on Virendra Vermin. He is
old enough to be your uncle. Pick someone your size. Verminji has the
right to say what he wants to say."
What we normal Hindus say: "We are sure Vermin is a big boy now and can
take care of himself. Nobody asked him to stop making posts. Heck, we
need our daily dose of humor and be told whether we are 'Bhartas'
or 'Bharatas'. But we reserve the right to taunt him and make him look
like a fool. If he has the guts to make posts and wants all the ensuing
attention from the bboard readers, he should be prepared also for the
flames. Bboard is no place for pussyfoots. This bboard does not
guarantee automatic adulation to Vermin's posts or anyone else's. Also,
it is one thing to express your opinion. But if any of you make racist,
bigotted statements, we will go after you full blast."
(6) What the fanatics say: "Well said Langot. I agree with you 'toto'.
Well said Dinesh, your arguments make a lot of sense to me. Good work
Induji". (The 'self-feeding frenzy' technique)
What the normal Hindus say: "Actually, such mutual back-slapping is a
matter of supreme indifference to us. In fact, it helps us count how
many of you are out there, polluting the net".
(6) What the Hindu fanatics say: "Chapter X1 of Gita sez it is okay to
bash the Muslims and Chapter 22 of Qur'an itself admits that the
Muslims are dangerous."
What the normal Hindus say: "Again, perhaps you are right. But while
interpreting religious texts, usually nobody is right all the time and
one can always quote out of context. None of these religious text-
quoting can justify fanaticism or pulling down a mosque, which after
the December 6 th Ayodhya incident, all you fanatics have started
calling a 'structure'. You guys quickly adapt, don't you ?"
(7) What the Hindu fanatics say: "I am sick of ... I am tired of.."
What the normal Hindus say: "Basically, you have run out of arguments.
The 'I am sick of ...' type of venting is usually the last resort to
make you sound reasonable. It might work on people that might take you
seriously. But not on a bboard. You are a spokesman only for a minority
of the Hindus. You don't speak for us, the majority Hindus, who want
secularism."
(8) What the Hindu fanatics say: "Even Sikhandar Bakht's kids have
Hindu names. Even some Muslims want the temple built in Ayodhya."
(The 'Good Muslim-Bad Muslim' technique)
What normal Hindus say: "You still don't get it, do you ? We are not
talking about brownie points out here or about symbolic gestures. A
Nazi-like movement is going on in India very seriously and we ought to
stop it. You cannot justify your brutal campaign with such statements
about some of the Muslims. By the way, have you really bothered to make
friends with any Muslims, personally ? Maybe you should. Because
ignorance is the root cause of much bigotry."
(9) What the Hindu fanatics say: "Mahabharat is not an epic. Ram was in
Ayodhya the night of Oct 15, 4365 BR (BR refers to the new Hindu era
reference point, 'Before Rekha') and we have historical proofs !" (also
known as 'Whitewash that history with mythology' technique)
What the normal Hindus say: "Fine. Each person to his belief. We can
practice such things in privacy. This should not disallow other
religions from practicing their religion or having a pluralistic India
with multi-ethnic culture. The Hindu religion is a great one, however
that does not contradict the great contributions to India of Islam,
Sikhism, Jainism and so forth and the people who practice those
religions."
(10) What the Hindu fanatics say: "Golmalkar never said it. RSS is
never bad. Shiv Sena has saved the country". (The 'black is white,
white is black' technique)
What the normal Hindus say: "You seem to have numerous references of
everything and you can always pull a quote to prove how these fanatics
and fanatical organizations are actually Nobel peace prize quality
units. The point is most of India agrees that VHP, ISS, RSS etc are
fanatical organizations and that they were banned for a good reason. If
you are going to sing praises such organizations, then you are tacitly
violating the ban. You probably think that the government should not
have banned them in the first place. You may be right. However
repulsive it may be, even the Ku Klux Klan, (analog of RSS, ISS, VHP
and Shiv Sena in this country) is allowed to function."
(11) What the Hindu fanatics say: "This is all because of Rajeev
Gandhi, Indira Gandhi, Devi Lal. Blame them. Don't blame us. MP
government, UP government, Orissa government blah blah blah It is the
Congress government who caused the problem, because they amended the
constitution in the Shah Bano episode and that is why we pulled down
the Babri Masjid." (The 'Micro-political quagmire' technique)
What the normal Hindus say: "This is your standard stalling practice to
peg some of us down to some meaningless politics quibble, while your
comrades are setting fire to a Muslim hut. We can certainly point
fingers to a lot of things of the past. And we should learn a lesson or
two from the past. But nothing justifies mad fundamentalist outrage.
The main problem is 'now' and 'here'. Let us stop Hindu
fanaticism 'now', before it consumes the country. Don't bring the past
over and over. Discovering new etymologies for the present problems
will not solve them."
(12) What the Hindu fanatics say: "We are angry."
What the normal Hindus say: "Tell us, who isn't ? Everybody is angry.
Everyone is angry in his or her own way because there is too little
money, too little sex and too many problems. If suddenly you find
yourselves angry, it is because your passions are whipped up and you
are lead like a bunch of sheep by self-serving bigots like Advani,
Singhal and Deoras. Sack them and think for yourselves. Look at
yourselves. Aren't we minorities in this country ? How would we like it
if a Christian fundamentalist group comes and demolishes some of our
temples in this country which are built on converted churches ? Aren't
we supposed to be sensitive to minority issues ?"
(13) What the Hindu fanatics say: "Listen to both sides." ('Hey guys,
let us have symmetry' argument)
What the normal Hindus say: "No, there are no two sides. Bigotry,
racism, fundamentalism all have only one side - the bad side. If you
are willing to apologize for what happened in Ayodhya and Bombay and
are willing to work for a secular India, we can talk. I am sure you
have some genuine grievances, but nothing should make an animal of you.
You clamor for a common Civil code. We should be able to work such
things out, even though the Civil codes don't impact 99.99 % of the
population of India."
Copyright(R) Mahadevan Ramesh
http://dalitstan.org/journal/recthist/nuclear/nwar_us.html
Hindu Fanatics plan a Nuclear War with the West
The Cold War is far from over. This fact was explicitly demonstrated
during the Kosovo crisis, when Russia, despite being a `democracy' and
heavily dependant on Western aid, vociferously opposed Western
humanitarian intervention. Russian nationalists were openly calling for
a war with the West, and much froth-mouthed rhetoric followed. The fact
that Russia was still the largest country in the world, and still
preserved most of its anti-Western Cold War attitude, became very
clear. Russia, despite the collapse of the Soviet Union, remains the
most serious threat to the West. The laxity displayed by US agancies
and their failure to maintain diplomatic pressure resulted in the
proliferation of nuclear weapons : In May 1998, India announced that it
had become a thermonuclear power. These weapons were built with the aid
of Israel and Russia. The axis between Russia and India has also
remained intact, despite claims to the contrary. Indeed, the fact that
this nuclearisation was solely a result of an anti-Western bias is
displayed by the shocking code-word used to signify a successful test :
The White House has Collapsed.
Newsweek; U.S. Edition - May 25, 1998
The White House has Collapsed !
Ground Zero
By Evan Thomas, John Barry and Melinda Liu
" In 1974, when India ran its first--and, until last week, only--
nuclear test, the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi pronounced the
explosion to be "peaceful." The coded message sent by the scientists at
the test site to signify success was "Buddha has smiled." (The code
words last week, NEWSWEEK learned, were "The white house has
collapsed.")
Much of India's rhetoric identified Pakistan as a supoosed enemy, and
China as a secondary one. However, the fact is that India is developing
long-range missiles which shall soon be able to target Europe and the
US. The axis with Russia has led to the most frightening development :
Russia's vast technological and scientific resource base has now joined
hands with India's vast human potential of 1 billion people. Put
together, this enormous power bloc is in terms of population more than
6 times the size of the US, with correspondingly greater mineral and
industrial resources. Worse still, this power bloc has strengthened its
ties following the Cold War.
A Third World country would, on its own, never have dared to take on
the might of the Western power bloc. The covert support of Russia and
Israel are the main reasons why it decided to make very clear to the
West that these nuclear weapons had a far more sinister meaning :
Pandit Vajpayee
" The White House Has Collapsed ! "
This was the Code used to indicate the Succesful Completion of the
Tests by the Dept. of Atomic Energy of India.
Sameer Jalnapurkar, `BJP dangerously out of touch with reality',
Rediff, May 23, 1998
Many pro-India lobbyists in the West have tried to downplay these
blatantly anti-Western statements, instead claiming that India wished
to improve its `self-esteem' by plunging Asia into a nuclear arms race.
This argument may have held water if it were not accompanied by the
`White House has Collapsed' rhetoric. Not only that, worrisome signs
show that the Indian Government has now openly become a Hindu
nationalist state under the firm control of the Brahmins. These
organisations have called for the use of nuclear weapons against
Pakistan when India bombed its own state of Kashmir. India has already
used chemical weapons in order to suppress a rebellion in the province,
and the day may not be far when it actually resorts ot nuclear weapons.
India Abroad, July 2, 1999
RSS calls for use of nuclear weapons
By P. JAYARAM
NEW DELHI -- The hard-line Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) last week
called for the use of nuclear weapons to end the Kargil stand-off
and "teach them (Pakistan) a lesson."
Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) --
the ideological offspring of the RSS -- however, dissociated itself
from its parent organization's call, attributing it to ignorance.
"These people do not know what they are talking about. They should have
used greater discretion, greater restraint," BJP vice president K.R.
Malkani told India Abroad.
Another BJP vice president, J.P. Mathur, described the call as a "sort
of emotional outburst against Pakistan's perfidy." He said the RSS
viewpoint did not influence the government's approach to the Kargil
crisis, adding that Vajpayee's assurance of "no-first-use" prevails as
far as country's nuclear policy is concerned.
The call to use nuclear weapons against Pakistan was made in an
editorial in the RSS journal, Panchjanya, which warned the government
that tolerating Pakistan's "misdeeds" any further would be construed
as "cowardice."
"Enough is enough, now teach them a lesson," the editorial said, and
asked the Prime Minister to consider the nuclear option to put an end
to what it called "the long history of Pakistan's treacherous acts
against India."
The editorial went on to add: "Rise Atal Behari, who knows whether you
have been destined to write the last chapter of this process. After
all, why have we made the bomb? Only for the sake of its successful
testing?"
The editorial appeared less than two days after Vajpayee's principal
secretary, Brajesh Mishra, reaffirmed India's policy of no-first-use of
nuclear weapons.
Although Vajpayee and other senior BJP leaders have been members of the
RSS, the Prime Minister has always distanced himself from its hard-line
pro-Hindu philosophy.
The lobbyists also try to portray India as the `world's largest secular
democracy', implying that all democracies are friendly towards the
West. Well, Russia was a democracy when it opposed Western humanitarian
intervention n Kosovo. Nazi Germany was a democracy when it was at war
with the US. Pakistan is also a democracy, yet these same India-
supporters seem to overlook this fact. The US having close ties with
Pakistan means that it is supporting a democratic regime. The Indian
government has also consistently debarred American companies access to
its market, whilst sending in thousands of software engineeres and
doctors who take up American jobs. Jobs our Government says Americans
cannot perform while immigrants from a Third World country can. India
also allows the deaths of more than 1 million female infants each year
on account of Hindu dowry laws which turn girl children into economic
liabilites. Over 50 years, that is 50 million girls who have been
killed by the present Indian government. By comparison, Hitler murdered
`only' an alleged 5 million Jews. By contrast, the much-maligned
Pakistan and other Islamic nations have a much better track record when
it comes to killing baby girls. In short, the arguments presented by
pro-Hindu lobbyists in favour of India are far from convincing. The
West should stop its pro-Hindu tilt before it is too late.
-- William Corrigan,
Dalitstan Journal,
Volume 1, Issue 2 (Oct. 1999
http://www.secularindia.com/hindu_fanatics_new_cause.htm
Hindu fanatics' new cause
[DAWN - the Internet Edition],
11 February 1999 Thursday
By Sunanda K. Datta-Ray
TENSION between Hindus and Muslims may be endemic to India, but the
rise in instances of anti-Christian violence in 1998 than in the
previous 50 years is a disturbing prospect not just for 27 million
Indian Christians of all denominations, but for the health of a nation
of nearly a billion people.
When Jawaharlal Nehru was India's first prime minister there were no
vicious attacks on Christians such as the rape of four nuns or lynching
of priests, as reported recently from remote villages in two states,
Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh. Nor were churches and chapels burned down.
But suspicions of political mischief, extraterritorial loyalty and the
hidden hand of the Central Intelligence Agency - now voiced by militant
Hindu leaders who have dubbed Christians "the second East India
Company" -were never far from the surface. Western missionaries were
evicted from India's northeast where Christianity was thought to go
hand-in-hand with the
secessionist demands of the Mongolian tribes.
Despite her extraordinary status, even Mother Teresa was not allowed to
visit Arunachal Pradesh state, the former North-East Frontier Agency,
bordering Tibet and Burma, in the 1970s when a local Freedom of
Religion Act (newspeak for a ban on conversion) led to a spate of
chapel burnings.
All those dormant fears were given free rein in March when the BJP
formed an ill-assorted 18-party coalition in New Delhi, with a former
Roman Catholic seminarian, George Fernandes, as defence minister. Such
paradoxes are common to India. They usually make for social harmony and
peaceful coexistence. The
BJP displays very little bigotry at all at the top.
Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, who promised Christians protection
from further attacks when he visited Gujarat's stricken villages
recently, is no fanatic. He is believed to have pushed the resolution
that the party's executive committee adopted recently condemning "any
attack on a place of worship, whether a church or a temple."
But there is less prudence lower down the line among the BJP's
socio-cultural support organizations, the Sangh Parivar as they are
called collectively. The most prominent is the Rashtriya Swayamsevak
Sangh, or National Volunteers Society.
But there is more to it than just an Indian variant of mindless inner-
city rioting. The newly formed Dharmaraksha Samiti (Committee for the
Protection of Religion) has given missionaries in Maharashtra state an
ultimatum to leave. The Vishwa Hindu Parishad accuses the CIA of
investing $12 million "to help the spread of Christianity in India as
part of a global evangelization plan."
Fired by fear and fervour, the same Hindu zealots who caused mayhem
several years ago when they tore down a 15th century mosque, are again
on the march. They are convinced that their hour has come because the
BJP rules in New Delhi, and because not to be Hindu is un-Indian.
Yet, Christianity in India is far older than the modern republic.
Church leaders are unapologetic to a point that many find provocative.
"We do convert people, but we do not just change their religion," said
Taranath Sagar, a Methodist pastor. "We liberate people from age-old
bondages and improve their total situation, which is what the Hindu
fundamentalists do not like." undamentalists, especially in rural
areas, enjoy the backing of influential conservative interests,
irrespective of religion, in opposing that liberation.
But as Mr Sagar would no doubt argue, defiance, persecution and
martyrdom are what Christianity is all about. Between them, they pose a
threat to India's stability that moderates like Mr Vajpayee alone can
halt by breaking out of the Sangh Parivar's clutches and mobilizing
middle-of-the-road Indians who find him a likable and trustworthy
leader.
(The writer is a former editor of The Statesman in India)
http://www.atimes.com/religion/AB03Dk03.html
Religious Wars
Fundamentalist shadow over India's Republic Day
By Dev Raj
NEW DELHI - India celebrated its 49th Republic Day on Tuesday, with
right-wing Hindu fundamentalism casting a shadow over the ideals of
religious secularism promised in the Constitution.
President Kocheril Raman Narayanan as India's first citizen pointed out
in his customary Republic Day address to the nation how far it had
strayed from the Constitution promulgated half a century ago.
In his televised speech, Narayanan reminded the nation of the preamble
of the Constitution which pledged ''liberty of thought, expression,
belief, faith and worship."
''The flag tells us,'' he said, ''to work for a free, flexible,
compassionate, decent, democratic society in which Christians, Sikhs,
Moslems, Hindus, Buddhists, Jains, will all find a safe shelter."
When Narayanan's speech was recorded for telecast, he had not yet heard
of the gruesome immolation alive in eastern Orissa state, on Saturday,
of Australian-born Graham Staines and his two young sons by Hindu
fanatics.
Staines, a Baptist Union Church missionary who worked among lepers for
three decades, paid with his life and that of his sons for allegedly
converting Santhal tribals in the Mayurbhanj and Keonjhar districts.
Although the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) or World Hindu Forum denied
involvement, it issued a press statement on Monday blaming the incident
on a plan by Staines and other Christian leaders to convert young
Santhal couples in jungle camps.
''In these camps both sexes were allowed to mix up and at the end of
the camps they were converted and allowed as married couples, which the
Santhals disliked,'' the VHP statement said, adding: ''VHP is against
bribe and conversion, it condemns this inhuman act."
Narayanan bolstered his plea for a return to the religious tolerance
prescribed by the Constitution with a quote from Mahatma Gandhi, who
wrote that he did not expect India to develop one religion which
was ''wholly Hindu, wholly Christian or wholly Mussalman, but I want it
to be wholly tolerant."
Gandhi, who led India to independence from colonial rule from British
rule in 1947, was himself shot dead in 1949 by Hindu fanatics owing
allegiance to the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) - which was then
banned.
The RSS was afterwards rehabilitated and several of its members are now
in the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), most notably Home Minister
Lal Krishna Advani.
Run on a military pattern, complete with drills and parades in khaki,
the RSS provides the mind and the muscle for the BJP and is the most
important constituent of the Sangh Parivar - an umbrella organisation
which also includes the VHP, the Bajrang Dal and the Shiv Sena (army of
god).
The Sangh Parivar helped the BJP's spectacular rise to power by running
a campaign to demolish the mediaeval Babri Masjid in the Ayodhya town
of northern Uttar Pradesh state and replacing it with a temple
dedicated to the Hindu warrior god Ram.
After the Babri Masjid was demolished in 1992 by mobs led by the Sangh
Parivar, communal riots broke out across India but especially in Mumbai
city with most of the victims being Muslims.
By April, last year, the BJP was finally in power - although only
leading a coalition of uneasy regional parties opposed less to its
fundamentalism than to the monolithic Congress party which now leads
the Opposition.
But to the dismay of the allies the Sangh Parivar has used the
opportunity to forward its fundamentalist agenda, dictating key
government appointments and even policy.
The murders have stretched the patience of the allies to its limits and
several of its leaders including Mamata Banerjee, chief of the Trinamul
Congress and Jayaraman Jayalalitha of the AIADMK have demanded a ban on
the Sangh Parivar.
''Such acts (the murders) go against India's secular nature and it is
time that fundamentalist parties whether these be the Shiv Sena or
Bajrang Dal are banned in this country,'' Banerjee said.
Chief Minister of southern Andhra Pradesh state, Chandrababu Naidu
reminded Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee that the support of his
Telugu Desam Party (TDP) was 'conditional' and warned that it would be
withdrawn unless action was taken to curb fundamentalism.
In fact, the main common condition demanded of the BJP by the allies
(including the Lok Shakti party in southern Karantaka, the Samata Party
in eastern Bihar state, the Akali Dal in northern Punjab and the
Haryana Vikas Party in northern Haryana) was that the party abandon the
fundamentalist agenda.
Stung by the criticism but fearful of the Sangh Parivar the BJP has
taken the position that the murders were the work of common
criminals. ''I have known these organisations (the RSS and the Bajrang
Dal) they do not have criminal record,'' Advani said.
On Tuesday, the influential Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M),
which runs state governments in West Bengal and southern Kerala, said
in a press note that Advani's statement ''amounted to protecting
communal fanatics."
The CPI-M noted that, after preliminary investigation, police in Orissa
had found the elements of the Sangh Parivar, notably the Bajrang Dal,
involved in the premeditated immolation of the Staines in their station
wagon.
Said Congress party leader Madhav Rao Scindia ''while people were being
roasted alive all that the Prime Minister and the Home Minister can say
is that the Bajran Dal is not involved."
According to Advani, a political conspiracy was afoot to topple the BJP-
led government by linking the party and the Sangh Parivar to the
murders.
Conspiracy or not, with some of the BJP's allies rethinking support for
the Vajpayee government and the Congress party assured backing for an
alternate secular government by left wing and regional parties in the
Opposition, a change could well be in the offing.
''Toppling games are considered unprincipled but this has really gone
beyond limits. It is high time the PM packed his bags and left. It
can't be accepted anymore,'' Scindia said.
Since his return from the site of the killings, Scindia has been
pressing for an ouster of the BJP by the Congress party which has been
content to sit in the Opposition following last year's inconclusive
elections.
''This ghastly incident has suddenly made it clear that fundamentalism
is the gravest threat - it has brought everything into harsh
perspective,'' Scindia said.
(Inter Press Service)
--
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Before you buy.
m30sin
like this guys in india will be kicked. no point in reasoning with them.
and as they claim the socalled secular hindus are the majority, why
they are not able to defeat bjp?
well, whole world knows what muslims are upto. you think because the
hindu fanatics are saying all others are 'mistakenly' believing that muslims
are bad guys?? i see, before that they though wtc was blown by monika
lewinsky maybe??
anyways, the more you ridicule the just grievance of 'minority' hindu
'fanatics'
the more fanatics will become, and first all hindus who don't respect will
be
kicked.
true, bashing muslims is taken up for fanning hindu fanaticism. soon, we
will
target anti-hindu bastards of macaulay specifically within hinduism such as
a lot of u on this list u blady bhrasht bharateeyas.
wanna bet on it that the fate of TULF at the hands of LTTe is going to
happen
to pro-muslim secular hindu dummies in india. get out of there, if u can....
Sid Harth <bak...@my-deja.com> wrote in message
news:8qqt15$9n6$1...@nnrp1.deja.com...