Tarun Vijay

RSS Camp held in Uttarkashi

Hindutva’s battle faces challenges within: Tarun Vijay

Maneri/Uttarkashi, 18 Jun: Addressing a RSS camp on the banks of River Bhagirathi here, Tarun Vijay, veteran journalist and Director, Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee Research Foundation said ( on 15th June 2009) that the politicians had misused and abused the noble concept of Hindutva which was all inclusive and symbolizes the essence of Indian ethos. Hindus were facing the worst ever challenge on their existence by Islamist Jihadis, expansionist Vatican’s proylitisers and atheist Maoists. He added that Hindu influence had been reduced to less than half in the last century and India had shrunk extraordinarily, The Hindu-Land representing the best of the civilization values on this planet was celebrating a state power that’s at war with its Hindu ethos. Vijay observed that the politicians were behaving in the same fashion unfortunately as had been depicted in the character of Shivrashi, (in the famous novel Jai Somnath written by KM Munshi), who had invited Ghazani through backdoor as he was blinded by his personal desires. He said the only solution to this malaise was to follow the path created by Dr Hedgewar that of the Hindu consolidation and an unapologetic pride among the Hindus regarding their Hinduness. That alone could power their sinews to create a strong, stable, prosperous and pluralistic Bharat. Swami Dev Rishi, Mahamandaleshwar, Juna Akhada presided over the function. He extolled Hindus to rise above sectarian divide and fight for the cause of Dharma. “Enough has been the betrayal, now we won’t tolerate anymore”, he said. Pauri Garhwal sanghchalak Narayan Singh Bisht gave the introductory speech. Dr Nityanand, famous scholar and former Head and Reader of Geography Department at Garhwal University is spearheading a unique residential ashram school movement under the aegis of RSS for the poor students of Garhwal region in this Maneri village (13 kms from Uttarkashi) where the Praudh Sangh Shiksha Varga was held. A large number of people from all walks of life had assembled for the valedictory function and the program continued in-spite of incessant rains.

With India scoring a diplomatic victory over China at the Asian Development Bank (ADB) board meeting by having a grant approval for the $2.9 billion India plan just a day before Prime Minister Manmohan Singh met Chinese President Hu, new foreign minister SM Krishna has began making a mark in his new office. It’s global news that China had blocked a consensus in ADB because the grant to India included watershed development projects worth $60 million in Arunachal Pradesh.
Finally, the US helped win the grant for us with its majority votes. But the home work to have the member nations understand India’s position was a meticulously handled operation by foreign secretary Menon and his team. Before that, just having been sworn in, SM Krishna had impressed all by his cool and deft handling of Pakistan and China’s abrasiveness while Manmohan went on a cool trip to China and Russia. Significant developments on our strategic front were overshadowed by domestic no-events.

A new entrant into the realm of diplomacy and foreign affairs, Krishna has certainly a long innings to play and with a mature and old China hand in foreign secretary Shiv Shankar Menon, he won’t have much problem in dealing with tougher issues. The first major challenge he faces in the form of bringing about a paradigm shift in foreign policy’s vision for the next 20 years. India 2010 to 2030 will be a completely changed land in terms of military strength, economic parameters and domestic political equations. So will be China, our immediate neighbour and a major strategic concern which never leaves a chance to offend Indian sensitivities at the most inopportune time.

With such neighbourly compulsions, the next decade would see India engaging with China more than any other nation, notwithstanding the democratic cooperation with the US. China has travelled a long way outsmarting India in manufacturing, economic growth, infrastructure building and military strength. While India has shrunk to almost half in the last 100 years, China has doubled geographically too. Recently in a poll conducted by the government-controlled Global Times, 90% of the Chinese people have been reported as thinking India as the biggest threat to China and a majority of them didn’t approve of strong friendly ties with us. It’s quite strange. First it’s India and not China that’s the aggrieved party, China has taken a large chunk of our land in Kashmir illegally and also accepted unashamedly a “gift” of the “theft” by Pakistan. It attacked us in 1962 and still lays claim to Arunachal Pradesh. Logically, it’s Indians who must feel aggrieved and oppose any friendly ties with the offending neighbour, which has been making unfriendly noises hurting Indian sentiments that includes opposing an India grant at ADB, voicing disapproval of President Pratibha Patil’s visit to Arunachal Pradesh and keeping a studied silence over fake Chinese drugs marketed in Africa as “made in India”.

But the level of ignorance about China in India is simply baffling. More than Pakistan, it should have been China on our radar of engagement knowing it more than any other nation. The naiveties of India’s so-called Sinologists is best expressed in projecting it in the fossilized terminology of the 60s and refusing to recognize that both countries have travelled hundreds of miles in different directions since then. China is no more a Mao-land, it has converted into a resurgent market economy where youngsters are yearning to learn American slang and speak English with a New York school’s pronunciation. India doesn’t appear with any recognizable significance on their radar — theirs is a westward journey with a determination to conquer the west. Their poverty-struck villages, simmering unrest in certain quarters and a rising urge for democracy and more liberal policies are here but they are feeble graphs and the strong streak of nationalism overpowers weaknesses of a totalitarian state apparatus.

India too is not the Nehruvian model of a fake socialism but a fast-moving economy determined to become a super power. The next 20 years are too important for both of us. China would like to move ahead of the US in economic and military strength and India must revitalize its core sectors with democratic values and supremacy in hardware. Our principal rival remains China and not the US. China would like these years to be peaceful, without any military adventurism to gain time for consolidating its economic and fire power. But definitely the rising power levels have added to its arrogance which India must watch cautiously.

This is exactly the transition period for India’s foreign policy, especially in its outlook to Pakistan, Afghanistan and China. India must not become a partner in the US game in this region which is, at present more Pakistan-centric and has ignored Indian concerns. Every US dollar given to Pakistan under the cover of “controlling Taliban”, is turned into a missile on Indian interests. Though India is a major player in the Af-Pak region, the perception is that it is playing second fiddle to the US. This has to be corrected with direct links with Afghan tribal leaders and an operational policy for Pakistan held Kashmir and NWFP. Krishna will also have to revitalize and make assertive policy towards Chinese links with Pakistan’s extremist organizations like Jammat-e-Islami and tribal leaders of Gilgit and Baltistan.

If there is a new China and a new India emerging on the world horizon, let there be a new approach towards each other — and that requires more understanding and information exchanges. Not only that Indians must get Chinese reports from Indian correspondents but there has to be a methodical approach towards Track II citizens diplomacy towards China. Already Indian companies are finding it lucrative to have their work stations and factories established in remote townships of China and Indian students get easy access to Chinese medical and engineering colleges. Learning Chinese and visiting China on vacations, instead of Malaysia or London and Europe must be encouraged and Chinese youth should be invited by Indian organizations for interaction and dialogue.

With changing economic poles and Asian giants withstanding recession, China is waiting for the opportune time through following hedging strategy without a clear mandate for any global player. It must continue to resist American presence in the region, as the strong US ties with Thailand and Singapore and a fear of its ability to block gateways to China’s trade route. Through Southeast Asia makes it uneasy. Growing Indian presence in this Mekong region, often symbolized by the phrase Ganga-Mekong cooperation is also looked with suspicion by Beijing, taking it as a part of Tokyo-Washington-Delhi arc of democratic cooperation.

SM Krishna will have to talk tough with Pakistan a small nuclear irritant compared with China and make South Block focused more on Chinese front.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Columnists/Tarun-Vijay-Krishna-Raag/articleshow/4666687.cms

Martyrdom Day of Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee in Jammu-

RSS Chief to address meeting in Jammu University-23-june

A Conclave Of Gods

Bangkok’s international airport, which is claimed to be the world’s biggest, is called Suvarnabhumi—a pure Sanskrit word, which gives me my first glimpse of how deep ancient Indian and Hindu influences run in Thailand. The road leading from the airport to the city is named after Rama IX, and there’s another road named after Rama I. I see a huge sculpture of the great churning of the ocean, with Vishnu as its magnificent centerpiece.

Thailand is a country where Rama and Ganesha coexist happily with Buddha and Avalokiteshwara. A Chinese Buddhist lady monk has built a fabulous Shiva temple (though it leaves an Indian devotee rather bewildered), and Ganesha worship is spreading like a reinvented rage amongst the youth. Shops, homes and street corners have Ganapati images in tiny, beautiful wooden shrines, about the size of the little tree-houses we use to feed birds. Songkran (from the Sanskrit Sankranti) is the Thai new year, which also comes close to Baisakhi—13th April—and I had to address a couple of new year meetings in Bangkok organised by the Hindu Swayamsewak Sangh. The present king, Bhumibol Adulyadej, Rama IX, is a living legend, the longest serving monarch on the planet today. 

Solitude At Sangam

The ubiquitous presence of Ram in this deeply Buddhist land made me decide to cancel a weekend in Pattaya, and go instead to Ayutthya, the tranquil ancient capital of Thailand—a decision I will never regret. If Bangkok dazzles with its superb infrastructure and perfectly designed signage, and frazzles with its horrific traffic jams, Ayutthya soothes. The city, which derives its name from Rama’s Ayodhya, is just 76 km from Bangkok. It is majestically situated on the confluence of three rivers, the Chao Phraya, Pasak, and Loburi. Its Buddhist splendour is enchanting, and the vast expanse of ruins of temples and palaces, dotted with banyan and peepal trees, makes an awe-inspiring sight. Ayutthya was a flourishing capital for more than four centuries, till the Burmese destroyed it in 1765. It reminded me of Hampi—how and why did such a great city fall into decay?

Ayutthya today is calmness incarnate. Clean, serene, and welcoming to tourists. The absence of concrete and glass structures, the dominance of eight century-old relics, gives it a look of being in a perpetual state of silent yoga. Hindus in India must learn a few things from this Ayutthya—how to keep temples clean, preserve heritage with respect, and be courteous to devotees and visitors, without arrogant, clamorous priests looking to extort their money.

The structures bear the unmistakable stamp of Khmer architecture, with huge royal halls, soaring temple domes and grand images of meditating and reclining Buddhas. The spontaneous laughter of child bhikkus (monks) flows through this ancient city like a rivulet in a rain forest.

People are transparently religious, and generous in their donations to monks, monasteries and temples. I am told about a poor woman who won a million dollars in a lottery, built a ‘wat’ and a temple with her winnings, and donated the rest of her money for their upkeep, while she continued to live in penury. There is a small mosque, bearing the name of Pakistan, apparently built with money from that country, and a church called ‘Blessings of Ayutthya’. The king ensures equal protection to all faiths, though his chief priest’s temple is known as Devasthan and has Shiva as the presiding deity. The Portuguese, Dutch, British and French visited Ayutthya between the 16th and 17th centuries, but there is no recorded mention of any Indian contact, although Indian influence is only too visible.

Thaksin, Tocsin

Dinesh Dube, a second-generation Thai entrepreneur, says Indians are welcomed, respected and trusted. But I find that they are rather lost in their own Gorakhpur-Ludhiana world, while earning in a land that teaches Sanskrit in four universities. The Indian community is deeply subdivided into Biharis, UP-wallahs, Gujaratis and Punjabis, and hardly makes any effort to identify with the Thai cultural milieu. The Chinese have an overwhelming presence and influence, using the Buddha route to maximise their ties with a strategic partner. Alas, Delhi has not capitalised on Buddha in the same way, though of late efforts to fortify age-old Ganga-Mekong friendship fibres are slowly yielding some results.

Taksin is a name Ayutthya never forgets. An ambitious Thai general who promoted himself to be king after Ayuthya’s fall and ruled from the other bank of Chao Phraya River, he became so powerful that he declared himself a Buddha incarnate. His ministers eventually revolted and executed him. Today, another Thaksin with his Red Shirt troopers—former prime minister Thaksin Sinawatra, who was charged and convicted for corruption—is ambitiously trying to overthrow the Thai government, even forcing it to cancel the prestigious ASEAN meet at Pattaya. It dealt a deep blow to national honour.

http://www.outlookindia.com/diary.asp

MR. TARUN VIJAY, MADE SOME NOTABLE SUGGESTIONS, - ESTABLISHMENT OF A PRAVASI BHARTIYA CHAIR TO DOCUMENT THE LEARNING’S OF THE INDIAN DIASPORA IN THEIR STAY ABROAD
ENCOURAGE THE STUDY OF INDIAN CIVILISATION THROUGH CULTURAL EXCHANGE PROGRAMMES ORGANISED BY THE ICCR (INDIAN COUNCIL FOR CULTURAL RELATIONS) INSTITUTION OF AN ANNUAL PRAVASI YOUTH AWARD THAT COULD BE GIVEN AWAY ON THE OCCASION OF THE YOUTH ICON SWAMI VIVEKANAND’S BIRTH ANNIVERSARY ON JANUARY 12

 On the first day of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, a special session based on the theme Diaspora Youth and India, Blueprint for Engagement was chaired by the dynamic and young parliamentarian, Mr. Jyotirditya Scindia. This interactive session drew a lot of enthusiasm from the Diaspora youths. Mr Scindia identified Culture, Education and Health as the three focus areas for development. He stressed on the need for two-way exchange programmes, distance learning programmes and the need for initiating world-class institutes in India. He was of the opinion that the Diaspora youth could lend its support by volunteering their time and effort to developing the health sector as India seeks to create a market for health services and attract private investment in this sector.

In a special address, Mr. Arun Shourie, Minister of Disinvestments and Communications & Information Technology encouraged the Diaspora youth to excel in their chosen field of interest and profession, so as to keep India shining. He urged them to keep their connections alive with India and work in partnership with this country through a healthy transfer and exchange of best practices from across the world in terms of laws, policies, procedures, technology and practices. The session was moderated by the vivacious Ruby Bhatia who summed up saying that youth from both overseas and India need to dispel their illusions and engage in cultural exchange programmes, build a collective identity and consider setting up a Youth Diaspora body. She mooted the suggestion of creating a virtual community with the assistance of a youth specific portal. Other prominent speakers in the session included Mr. Shiren Dewani, Senior Associate, Reorganisation Services, Deloitte & Touche, UK; Ms. S. Mitra Kalita, President, SAJA, USA; Mr. Parag Khanna, World Economic Forum Global Governance Initiative, The Brookings Institution, USA; Mr. Karan Manhas, MLA, Vancouver, Canada; Ravindren C Ponniah, Student Malaysia; Mr. S. Arunachalam, Director, AR International, Hong Kong; Mr. Anand Shah, Indicorps, USA and Mr. Tarun Vijay, Editor, Panchjanya. Each one of the speakers expressed their emotional attachment to their Indian Origin and immense pride in their heritage. They felt that even though they were now natives of other countries, they will be Indians in their heart forever. Mr. Tarun Vijay, Editor, Panchjanya made some notable suggestions, - Establishment of a Pravasi Bhartiya Chair to document the learning’s of the Indian Diaspora in their stay abroad
Encourage the study of Indian civilisation through cultural exchange programmes organised by the ICCR (Indian Council for Cultural Relations) Institution of an annual Pravasi Youth award that could be given away on the occasion of the youth icon Swami Vivekanand’s birth anniversary on January 12 Pravasi Bharatiya Divas 2004 is being jointly organised by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Government of India and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) from January 9-11, 2004. The three-day event was inaugurated by the Prime Minister of India, Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee and followed by the presentation of Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awards 2004. January 9 each year has been chosen as the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas both in India and abroad as it was on this date in 1915 that Mahatma Gandhi finally returned to India after almost two decades in South Africa. The recommendation of celebration of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas had been made to recognise the contribution of the Indian Diaspora in the political, economic, social, academic and cultural fields.

The issues were just those the people wanted BJP to raise — harsh on terror; IT for the rural folks and commoners; five lakh Kashmiri Hindus be sent back; illegal Bangladeshi infiltration to be stopped; opposing Raj Thackeray’s divisive parochialism; bringing back black money from Swiss banks and de-communalising state schemes; making secularism mean seeing citizens as Indians and ending appeasement on religious grounds.

The best of the highway schemes, telecommunication revolution, roads, improved power supply and novel schemes for the girl child were essentially BJP initiatives earning laurels from bodies like planning Commission to the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation.

BJP’s direction was decided by nationalism and not by family fiefdoms or Afzal-Quattrocchi centric considerations of an extra-constitutional variety. It stood firmly against the bloody jihadis of Nizame-Mustafa and Nizame-Marx kind and was the first party in India’s history to introduce 30% reservation for women.

It was the only party that had a clear policy framed for youth and infrastructure building with an assured economic package for farmers. Anything wrong in that?

Those who blame Hindutva forget that if India was not a Hindu majority we would have gone the Pakistan way. The entire south Asia is facing a rapid marginalisation and decrease in Hindu population. State powers are blatantly bruising Hindu sentiments for vote banks — communal reservations and hurting the majority on issues like Ram Setu. Why it has become a ‘sin’ to speak for them who continue to be brutalised from Swat to Srinagar?

Never in post-Independence history have security forces felt so letdown; ex-army personnel even returned their well-earned war-decorations in frustration. BJP took up their anguish. The top industrialists and corporate giants publicly appreciating BJP policies was a rare phenomenon.

Was it prompted by BJP’s ‘wrong’ direction? With the bright young radiant faces of the rich and powerful families entering Parliament triumphantly, Indian democracy has come a full circle. From Gandhi’s salt movement to a dynastic movement. The BJP direction was just right. The fault lies somewhere in reaching out to the people.

(* Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee Research Foundation)

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/ET-Debate/Direction-was-right-but-failed-to-reach-people/articleshow/4562527.cms

Pakistan was created because its leaders said they could not live with Hindus and they needed a separate State. This is the basic truth, but we seem to forget this all the time because we are under the spell of a mirage called secular diplomacy.

Since its birth, the country gave us the Mirpur massacre, a Kargil and an unstable and volatile Swat Valley. There is more: they ‘gifted’ our 4,853 sq km of land to China, waged Operation Topac in Punjab and fuelled separatism and terrorism in Kashmir. But when they were badly bruised by their homegrown ‘freedom fighters’, they began playing the victim card.

Even after all this, it’s quite amazing that they have the guts to call themselves victims of terrorism. But what about those people who buy this argument? Whenever Pakistan has been buoyed by the US’s financial and military support, they have attacked us. They have also manufactured the Islamic bomb. Every single missile they produced  (Ghauri, Ghazni, Qasim) was named after people who were known for their hatred against Hindus. And yet we have people who tell us that Pakistan too is a victim of ‘non-State players’ and the two countries should fight terrorism together.

What the Swat Valley is facing today must be seen in its historical context. Swat was a great centre of learning  and it sent Buddhist monks all over the world to spread the message of peace and compassion. The original name of this beautiful region was Udyan and this finds a mention in ancient Buddhist and Hindu scriptures. Chinese travellers have written about Swat’s majestic beauty and more than 1,400 Buddhist monasteries flourished there. The Kushans  and Hindu Shahis ruled till 1001 CE when Mahmud of Ghazni invaded the area.

Swat’s neighbouring areas are the Gilgit, Chitral, Kafiristan and Hindukush mountain ranges. As the names suggest, all these regions have an indelible Hindu imprint but the conquerors renamed the areas with a vengeance. Hindukush is a mountain where Hindus were crushed and Kapish was called Kafiristan, because the inhabitants were non-Muslims.

When an Afghan ruler invaded the area in 1895, he forcibly converted all and then renamed the region as Nuristan — the land of light. So, what Swat’s Hindus and Sikhs are facing today is a continuation of what happened to Hindus since the Muslim invasions began.

Guru Nanak faced the same barbarians. In 1523, Babar attacked India and after crossing Sindhu entered Saiadpur (now Amnabad), 15 kilometre south east of Gujranwala. His soldiers killed and looted, turning a city of life into a ghost town of dead bodies. Guru Nanak saw this, and used the word ‘Zabar’ (ferocious) for Babar.

You could say forget it, bygones are bygones. But this Hindu attitude of forgetting the bitter past and beginning a new friendship has always remained unreciprocated. Various armed lords are controlling Pakistan. Islamabad’s authority has lost its relevance except for the army and the US. Washington is once again fattening the army coffers, repeating the historical blunder of General Zia’s period. The only way to strengthen peace and plurality in the region is India’s democracy. Whichever party rules India, they must not allow any kind of extremism like we see in our neighbourhood. Pakistan has become self-destructive.

However, Delhi can’t say that it will not do anything. We are affected by Islamabad’s follies more than the US. Therefore, it’s our responsibility to check religious fanaticism in that country.

If Team Rahul gets so much support and with radiant faces like Jyotiraditya, Sachin and Jitendra Singh, it is able to deliver in national interest, should we remain adamant and say: Hey, you are bad till you join our party ? They are Indians and have been voted to power by an Indian electorate. 

Think what India needed at a time when external security was under strain and internally terrorism of various varieties continued unabated. Recession has put off lights in a hundred million homes and diplomacy has to show its best with confidence when China makes ADB stop an aid to Arunachal, Tamils are severel brutalized and Swat remains a difficult zone for Delhi, though Kathmandu has given signs of relief, which needs further restrengthening of the non-violent democratic forces. 

We wanted a stable government, led by a party with a national outlook, which is necessarily free in taking decisions and without any dependence on the Left and other fringe elements. And an opposition that’s pan-national in its policies, and strong enough to stop any wrong by the treasury benches. 

We got it. 

Should it make us sad, unhappy and remorseful? 

In any case the young, vibrant faces we see peopling parliament, with less caste consciousness and stronger on the merit lines, will do better than their predecessors and please don’t count if they make mistakes, they will shine even if they make some, which are bound to be there in the land of ‘angels’ who have nothing else to do except criticize and belittle others. 

India is passing through an ideological and programmatic transformation and the youth in the lead is bound to change the parliament’s body language and paradigms of behaviour. They are there in every party, though more glamorous and the powered will hog the headlines, thanks to the class conscious and politically correct media, the lesser souls will still be relevant and make their mark. 

An India, which is strong militarily, sound economically and leads the comity of nations for a peaceful coexistence, needs only one brand “Indian”, and definitely not a religious or partisan identity. 

Those who couldn’t make it will have enough time to ponder and analyze why they got the drubbing. But those who have an unflinching faith in their ideology and are committed to their path of bliss will carry on working with a renewed vigour and confidence. If the conveyor belts are weak, you can’t blame the luggage for a failed delivery. 

Let them think and come to any conclusion that they find appropriate. 

To say that the issues raised by those who are otherwise known world over as Hindu nationalist group were wrong, will be unfair to India. 

After all, was the raising of the issue of Kashmiri Hindus wrong? 

Or demanding revocation of POTA and stringent measures against terrorists? 

Or the agitation for the Amarnath land and preservation of the unique world heritage and a symbol of faith like Ram Sethu? 

The nationalists opposed the divisive politics of Raj Thakcrey, who was propped up by the Congress to counter Shiv Sena. Was opposing Raj wrong? 

The nationalists did Pokaran 2 and were committed to preserve rights for Pokaran 3 if needed. Was that against national interest? 

On the eve of polls some said forget 1984 but remember Gujarat. What mentality did it show? 

The nationalists wanted Article 370 to go and Kashmir fully integrated with the rest of India. Was that against national integration? 

Should India be governed on religious fragmentation and parochial chauvinism or on the basis of egalitarianism, equal rights and privileges to all rising above communal lines? 

Let everyone ponder: Hindus have been continuously assaulted for the last twelve hundred years. Do they have a right to preserve their heritage and way of life after a partitioned independence or not? 

These are the existential questions before the nation and not the other way round. 

True that most of the opposition was fragmented, filled up front pages of the newspapers with internal brick batting ( Rampur, Lalu-Nitish-Paswan-Congress ). But that doesn’t make a stark fact diminish that many of the media houses were seen to be working against a particular section of Indian polity. Some becoming an instrument to oppose Hindu assertions maligning them with celebrative enthusiasm for irrelevant happenings like we saw at Mangalore pub. Their (‘fair, objective and independent torch bearers of freedom of expression’) controllers, writing in newspaper columns and on their blogs, had nothing but a decisive opposition and acidic hate for a particular section of the Indians who asserted their dharma. These Hindus were demonized for their civil assertions and all the media space was given to the one-sided attacks on them like the Taliban did in Swat. How the owners of the channels, writing politically partisan columns in papers that blatantly support a particular political party, would allow a debate that can be closer to objectivity and does justice to the other viewpoint? 

So what? 

They could do what they did, not because they were too overpowering, but because the other side miss-stepped their plans. In the last eight decades, when did Hindutva get applause by this politically correct press and if their steps were strong, when was it able to stop the march? 

Prudence demands perseverance and a rational faith in what we have believed in to come up with new idioms and an inclusive appeal that does justice to the cause so dear to the followers. 

That’s the cause of India. 

Mother India needs the ideology that reflects the glory of our civilisational contours. 

The ideology that has been fortified by the martyrdoms and dedication of thousands of unknown and unsung foot soldiers led by Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee and Pt. Deendayal Upadhyaya. Both the great stalwarts were murdered mysteriously in their early fifties. They became leaders of a mass party when they were in their forties. And remember they initiated Bharatiya Janasangh, and not Hindu Janasangh, hence their vision was essentially all-inclusive. 

Trust in the ideology that is the only reason of organization’s birth and survival and don’t get besieged by the flood of assaults in this time of low tide is the message of this mandate for the vanquished. Hindutva is a way of life and not a political instrument like water supply and reservations. Its wrong, completely a falsehood if someone says it spreads hatred. It’s the only ideology that guarantees pluralism on equality. In fact the most hateful ideologies are those which stifle the other voices defining secularism as anything anti-Hindutva. 

Suresh Rao (Bhaiyyaji) Joshi, the sarkaryavah (Gen Secy.) of the RSS said in an interview with me that Hindutva is not a political subject or a parameter but a way of life. So don’t politicize it. Hindutva encompasses essentially good education, rural development and urban infrastructure. There is no alternative to good governance and a lifestyle that rhymes with the ideals that are espoused. Ram symbolizes material happiness too based on the righteous approach for all. Wherever they could show it, they won. 

The fact that the nationalist groups are running largest number of service projects, hospitals, blood banks, Thalasaemia care centres, cerebral palsy treatment centres and hundreds of thousands of schools, is overshadowed by political ups and downs. India still produces young, bright, meritorious people who work in remote areas of this land for the socio-economic development without ever caring whether they are mentioned in media reports or not. Five thousand bare foot doctors’ centres in the villages are being run. That’s the real core of Hindu organizational work. With undiluted love and amity for all. If India rises, who falls, is the touchstone of all their actions and utterances. 

Nationalism means India first without getting embarrassed or apologetic for our Hinduness. The situation demands a better solidarity and not further divisions. It requires an intellectual commitment to India as envisioned by Sri Aurobindo. 

We must prove ourselves worthy of it.

THE sudden impact of the unexpected mandate shocked Congress and BJP both with different results. People are like that. The issues of terrorism, price rise, recession, corruption and black money were taken up, but the mandate went the other way and it must make BJP to think why it couldn’t achieve its goal in spite of a supposedly favourably atmosphere. 

The truth is BJP did well in its areas of influence, increased its tally in UP but couldn’t gather extra mileage in areas where it was already on the margins like West Bengal, Andhra, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Also wherever the infighting was a page one matter for months, it couldn’t assure voters and its support base about its good intentions.

Now what? Think together, be a constructive opposition and reorganise with an undiluted commitment to ideology giving leadership at various levels to the youth under the guidance of stalwarts. The genesis of Janasangh and later its reincarnation as BJP is rooted in the strong nationalism which is unapologetic about Hindutva. Thats how the world recognises us. It means justice for all and appeasement of none. It also means strong on security, working for an economic rejuvenation, providing best of education and housing and infrastructure and taking up poverty alleviation programmes. 

BJP needs to transform itself as a youthful, ideologically committed party with universal values of friendship and harmony. The dreamy eyed young generation is marching ahead with vigour and a confidence to win. Let BJP become the flagbearer of that change reflected in the ideals of Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee and Pt Deendayal Upadhyaya, who had become leaders at a very young age when they were in early forties, and ironically both were murdered in mysterious circumstances. 

Their martyrdom must light the path and their simplicity, idealism and rock like commitment be our charter of faith. Victory shall be ours undoubtedly.