February 23, 2016
July 16, 2015
Ram Temple in Ayodhya: Hindu Mahasabha claims VHP ‘pocketed’ Rs 1,400 cr
Ram Temple in Ayodhya: Hindu Mahasabha claims VHP ‘pocketed’ Rs 1,400 cr; Singhal rubbishes charge
See more at: http://indianexpress.com/article/cities/lucknow/ram-temple-in-ayodhyahindu-mahasabha-claims-vhp-pocketed-rs-1400-cr-singhal-rubbishes-charge/
Vyapam troubles loom for RSS as probe threatens to drag in Sangh Parivar elders
by Chandrakant Naidu Jul 16, 2015
On the defensive for sometime now after a fierce attack from the Congress over the Vyapam scam, the Sangh Parivar has decided to launch a strong response, more so as the scandal threatens to cast a shadow on the sangh itself. The RSS hierarchy led by Mohan Bhagwat camped in Bhopal for three days before the BJP president Amit Shah landed in town to boost the morale of party men.
Mohan Bhagwat held a couple of sessions with Chouhan and senior RSS leaders, even as a hard-hitting letter from Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee's chief spokesperson KK Mishra to him during his Bhopal sojourn kicked up another row.
Protests against BJP leaders in connection with Vyapam scam. PTI
Protests against BJP leaders in connection with Vyapam scam. PTI
“My letter asks Bhagwat why he was protecting people involved in Vyapam scam. RSS talks about high moral values, it is the time for him to act against the corrupt BJP government in Madhya Pradesh,” said Mishra.
Mishra’s letter took a jibe at the Sangh Parivar saying, “Sangh and BJP have always spoken of probity in politics and raised issues of corruption, degradation of politics, terrorism, black money stashed abroad. But in the country, especially in MP, the government presents a picture totally opposite of what the saffron family preaches. Why and for what are these things occurring, I ask you as a citizen?”
With CBI coming into the picture the RSS might be worried as some of its important officials will need to explain their position, Sangh Parivar sources said. Names of Bhagwat's predecessor KS Sudarashan and RSS Sah-sarkaryavah Suresh Soni have cropped up during the STF inquiry. Vyapam accused Mihir Kumar, a former sewadar (assistant) to the late Sudarshan, in a written statement before the STF admitted having got job with the state weights and measures department in 2012 fraudulently.
"After filling the application forms, I gave photocopies of them to the late Sudarshanji, who was the former RSS chief. I was Sudarshanji's sewadar. I requested him to help me clear the test so that I could get a job. Sudarshanji asked Laxmikant Sharma (former state minister now in jail in connection with the scam) to make sure that I cleared the test. Sharma assured Sudarshanji that the work would be done. Sudarshanji told me that I should attempt questions that I could and leave the rest blank. I answered some 50-60 questions correctly and left the others blank as instructed. When the results came out on October 18, 2012, I was seventh on the merit list," Mihir Kumar had told STF.
Former MPPEB examination controller Pankaj Trivedi, who is in jail on charges of complicity in the recruitments in the weights and measures department, also reportedly told investigators that Laxmikant, told him that "Mihir is a very important candidate and Soniji's man".
In the face of looming trouble, the message emerging from the Parivar huddles is loud and clear: drown the Congress campaign on Vyapam with aggression on the streets. A strategy being embraced across the parivar, including the BJP. Shah, who was in MP to boost party membership, offered simple but pragmatic advice. He told party workers not to criticise the party in public and to take every opportunity to highlight the failures of other parties.
The BJP has kept up the damage control in Madhya Pradesh by asking senior leaders to criss-cross the state and defend Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. The refrain is: “We have done no wrong and don’t need to be apologetic.” All leaders have been maintaining that there is no need for Chouhan to resign.
Two Union ministers Narendra Singh Tomar and Prakash Javdekar ; vice-presidents Prabhat Jha, Shyam Jaju, former Union minister VikramVerma, state chief Nandkumar Singh Chauhan and state Energy minister Rajendra Shukla have already addressed the press at Gwalior, Ujjain, Jabalpur, Sagar and Rewa.
The Congress, on the other hand, seems to have partially squandered the advantage it gained by forcing a CBI enquiry into the matter. It held a street protest at Bhopal against Amit Shah and was dealt with firmly by the state police. At least 40 persons who were arrested failed to secure bail as they were charged with rioting. With the district president PC Sharma in custody, the party has decided to ahead with the bandh call for Thursday. Coming on the eve of Eid the call is bound to backfire as traders have refused to shut shops during festive season. In trying to show its strength the party has exposed its weakness in planning a crucial move. There is resentment in party over a lost opportunity. The party would have better off by leaving the matters to be decided by the CBI and Supreme Court.
http://www.firstpost.com/politics/vyapam-troubles-loom-for-rss-as-investigation-threatens-to-drag-in-sangh-parivar-elders-2345142.html
March 08, 2009
'I will forcibly stop Hindu girls marrying Muslims' - Pramod Mutalik
Mid Day, 7 March 2009
by Anil Thakraney
Mumbai: Shri Ram Sene leader Pramod Mutalik wants to 'cleanse' India. And he's more than willing to knock on your door if you won't listen to him. A medieval man stuck in a new age India, with a warped sense of history and ideology? Or, a mischief monger out to gain power and fame at all costs? You decide
At the Oscar awards ceremony, A R Rahman said he always had the choice between love and hatred. And that he always chose love. And look where it got him. Shri Ram Sene leader Pramod Mutalik, on the other hand, always chose hatred.
Hatred against other religions, "loose and forward women", pubs, dating, Gandhiji, western nations, it's a long list. And guess what? He isn't doing too badly for himself. A single attack on a little known pub in sleepy Mangalore has catapulted him into a global celebrity.
I meet the fire spewing man at his "friend's house" in Mangalore. Perhaps because the Ram Sene's office faces closure; there are 45 criminal cases registered against Mutalik.
And he's literally on the run in his Maruti Swift, with negligible security cover. I am welcomed warmly with folded hands, graciously offered tea and lunch, Mutalik is all smiles, and I almost feel I am catching up with a long lost uncle.
Till he opens his mouth, that is.
Sir, what is Shri Ram Sene's staff strength? How many people have signed up?
We started the organisation three years ago. We have 68,000 members in Karnataka and we are looking for new memberships from April this year. My people visit villages and towns to seek new memberships. Actually, the media has helped make us a national name (smiles). So on March 29, we have called for an all India meeting in Delhi. We have already received enquiries from nine states. We want to make Shri Ram Sene an all India organisation.
So in one year you will be a national leader?
Definitely!
What is your long-term vision for the Sene?
I want to build a Hindu rashtra. A nation where everyone lives happily, peacefully and does not starve.
For that, you will have to join politics. For real change, you need to be in power.
You are right. But Jana Shakti is powerful too, it can shake politics. So we want Shri Ram Sene to operate non-politically.
When you say 'Hindu rashtra', what happens to other communities like the Muslims, the Christians, the Sikhs, the Parsis, etc?
Hindu rashtra is too vast. There will be no divisions, it's an ideology, a principle. Hindu rashtra will include all other communities as well. They are also ours. We want to take them along.
But you recently said you are planning suicide squads amongst the Hindus.
No, I meant fighting for the country, that's our dharma. It's about desh bakhti, not about killing others. That's why we have created a Rashtra Raksha Sena.
And how will it operate?
We will not take the law into our own hands, we will not wield weapons.
So it will operate non-violently?
Yes.
Which means you are a fan of Gandhiji's ways.
No. In Karnataka alone we have nabbed seven terrorists and handed them over to the state government. Our job will be to tip-off the police and the state home ministry about illegal activities and anti-national activities. We will wait for them to take action. And if they don't, we will handle it ourselves.
Through non-violent means?
No. There can be violence. We have to stop anti-national agents at all costs.
Have you lost faith in the governments of the state and the nation?
Yes, we are losing faith in politicians. They are going in the wrong direction. Some politicians are helping terrorists! You saw what happened in the Batla House encounter.
They killed two terrorists and arrested one. And Amar Singh gave Rs 10 lakh to that terrorist! He also called the encounter a fake. These politicians are helping terrorists and the law and order machinery has become helpless. We have had 300 terror attacks against the nation.
So you will flush out the terror suspects if the government doesn't act.
Yes, we will attack them, arrest them, and hand them over to the police.
That's like an encounter. Are your boys prepared?
Yes, we will face it.
So you will have to arm your boys with weapons.
When the moment comes, we'll plan the action.
By equipping them with guns?
May be. We are training our people to handle any situation. They will take those decisions on the spot. They will do anything in the interest of the nation.
Where are your training camps located?
In the jungles and villages. We are teaching them karate and yoga. We are training them physically, mentally and ideologically.
Er, you will fight AK 47s and bombs with karate and yoga?
Each member is a bomb in himself.
Are you still aligned with the RSS?
I have always been an RSS Swayamsewak. RSS doesn't belong to any one individual, it belongs to the people. We have an unbreakable bond with them.
Then why did you launch a separate wing?
We had a difference of opinion. I do not want a compromise on Hindutva. They have compromised it by launching a Rashtriya Muslim Manch. They want to take Muslims along, with love and affection. I believe we should not take the lead, they (the Muslims) should come forward. You know, Gandhiji showed so much love to Muslims, what happened in the end? The nation got partitioned. Even Mohammed Paigambar did not love the Muslims as much as Gandhiji did.
What exactly is your problem with Indian Muslims?
Muslims out here were not Muslims originally. They were converted. They were Hindus originally. I want them to return and embrace Hinduism. They are Hindus in reality!
Isn't that a generalisation?
They were all converted, all Muslims in India were Hindus before, and I assure you of that. They were converted by people like Mohammed Gazni, Mohammed Ghori, Akbar, Babur and Aurangzeb. Even now there are attempts going on to convert Hindus.
Do you support Nathuram Godse?
Yes.
But he killed the Father of the Nation.
I don't regard Gandhi as the Father of the Nation. Godse killed him because Gandhi divided this nation, leading to the formation of Pakistan. Gandhi sat on a fast till our money, Rs 55 crore, was given to Pakistan. Godse feared Gandhi would convert what's left of this nation into Pakistan as well. That's why he killed him.
If you were around at the time, you would have killed Gandhiji too?
Yes, one hundred per cent! I would have killed Nehru as well.
Why did you break away from the Shiv Sena?
Because they started dividing people on language and borders. That I did not want. This language divide is making the nation weaker.
Bal Thackeray was your boss once.
Not boss. We had joined hands with them on the idea of a Hindu rashtra. Once the language issue happened, we left them.
What if the Shiv Sainiks don't allow you to enter Mumbai?
No, no, that won't happen. Balasaheb Thackeray has appreciated Shri Ram Sene for its recent efforts. We have their support.
Your Valentine's Day agitation in Bangalore flopped. Thackeray said so.
(Shouts.) It was a huge success! 75% of the celebrations stopped because of us. Only two or three pubs were open. Valentine's Day was a total failure.
When's the next agitation? New Year's Day?
Definitely! We will stop it. All over India. We will organise programmes on desh bhakti on that day so people can attend those.
Next. Define Indian culture.
Our women are talented, and we should encourage them. But nudity, dancing and drinking liquor is not our culture. Also, it's not just drinking, there is a drug and sex mafia behind all this. It's an international conspiracy to destroy Indian culture. These western countries are behind this conspiracy. They introduced the pub culture into India. They brought AIDS, orphanages and old age homes, which is not part of our culture. Our culture upholds family values. In the US and England, 32% of pregnant girls are unmarried teens.
How will you stop all this? Girls working in the IT parks of Bangalore deal with global citizens, socialise with them, that is their work and lifestyle.
We will oppose all this. If women drink at pubs, they will destroy the Indian samaaj. We will put pressure on the central and state governments to shut down all pubs. To ban wine.
The problem is if you ban drinking in public places, youngsters will meet in empty flats to drink, and naughtier stuff will happen. Then what will you do?
(Hesitates.) I accept what you say. But we will stop that too. Parents are becoming more involved. We will educate them with books and through social workers.
You will enter people's homes too.
Definitely! Definitely!
The Amnesia pub attack. Was your problem that the girls were drinking, or that they were hanging out with Muslim boys?
No, there was no religious issue. It was about girls drinking.
Aren't your boys who carried out the attack disappointed with you when you apologised for the incident?
No. I said sorry because the method used was wrong, but the objective was correct. They are our trusted staffers, they didn't feel bad.
Did you reward the attackers?
Yes. Thanks to them, we are an all-India body today. (Smiles.) They are very happy. I congratulated them for their role.
You will never ask your boys to attack girls again?
No, never. I promise. We will protest, we will complain to the police and the government. What happened in Mangalore was in the heat of the moment. Also, my boys were provoked, as one of the girls showed them her chappal.
One of the girls who were attacked, her mother, Ranjana Shetty, called up to thank us. Because she didn't know till then that her daughter goes to a pub. She congratulated us for having beaten up her girl!
You have good relations with the BJP?
No. They are using Hindutva only for electoral gains. They are more interested in power.
Advani has promised a temple in Ayodhya.
(Agitated.) That's all a big naatak. That's election speech. He will not do it. The BJP has cheated the nation. They used Ram to get into power. The moment they gained power, they left Ram. The Shri Ram Sene will build a Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. One hundred per cent!
You don't respect Advani?
We used to. But the moment he supported Jinnah, he spoilt our relations.
Churches are being attacked in Karnataka. Do you approve?
The churches are attacked because they are spoiling the name of Hindus. They are converting Hindus and we want to stop this. Let the Christians pray in their churches. Why are they bringing Hindus there? Even Vivekananda and Gandhiji said conversions are wrong. We want conversions to be banned.
You never married. But suppose you had a daughter, and she announced she's marrying a Muslim, what would you do?
I would stop her. It's a wrong thing. I want to tell all Hindu girls of this nation not to marry Muslim boys. And if they won't listen, I will forcibly stop them.
But earlier you said all Indian Muslims were Hindus once...
Yes, so let them come back to Hinduism first.
Are you against the idea of love?
No, love isn't wrong. But dating is wrong. Fixing dates for love is wrong. Love is for every day, every minute, a beautiful thing. People should not abuse it.
So why didn't you marry, if you believe in love?
Marriage is a bandhan. I wouldn't have found time to do all I am doing for the nation.
Lord Ram, in whose name you operate, married too. And he did quite fine.
(Laughs loudly.) He was Lord Ram. I am only Pramod Mutalik! I don't even think about a wife.
You never dated in college? Didn't feel the biological need for a partner.
The need can be there, but not everyone has to fall in love and marry.
© 2008 MiD-Day Infomedia Ltd. All rights reserved. Powered by Epoch Technologies
by Anil Thakraney
Mumbai: Shri Ram Sene leader Pramod Mutalik wants to 'cleanse' India. And he's more than willing to knock on your door if you won't listen to him. A medieval man stuck in a new age India, with a warped sense of history and ideology? Or, a mischief monger out to gain power and fame at all costs? You decide
At the Oscar awards ceremony, A R Rahman said he always had the choice between love and hatred. And that he always chose love. And look where it got him. Shri Ram Sene leader Pramod Mutalik, on the other hand, always chose hatred.
Hatred against other religions, "loose and forward women", pubs, dating, Gandhiji, western nations, it's a long list. And guess what? He isn't doing too badly for himself. A single attack on a little known pub in sleepy Mangalore has catapulted him into a global celebrity.
I meet the fire spewing man at his "friend's house" in Mangalore. Perhaps because the Ram Sene's office faces closure; there are 45 criminal cases registered against Mutalik.
And he's literally on the run in his Maruti Swift, with negligible security cover. I am welcomed warmly with folded hands, graciously offered tea and lunch, Mutalik is all smiles, and I almost feel I am catching up with a long lost uncle.
Till he opens his mouth, that is.
Sir, what is Shri Ram Sene's staff strength? How many people have signed up?
We started the organisation three years ago. We have 68,000 members in Karnataka and we are looking for new memberships from April this year. My people visit villages and towns to seek new memberships. Actually, the media has helped make us a national name (smiles). So on March 29, we have called for an all India meeting in Delhi. We have already received enquiries from nine states. We want to make Shri Ram Sene an all India organisation.
So in one year you will be a national leader?
Definitely!
What is your long-term vision for the Sene?
I want to build a Hindu rashtra. A nation where everyone lives happily, peacefully and does not starve.
For that, you will have to join politics. For real change, you need to be in power.
You are right. But Jana Shakti is powerful too, it can shake politics. So we want Shri Ram Sene to operate non-politically.
When you say 'Hindu rashtra', what happens to other communities like the Muslims, the Christians, the Sikhs, the Parsis, etc?
Hindu rashtra is too vast. There will be no divisions, it's an ideology, a principle. Hindu rashtra will include all other communities as well. They are also ours. We want to take them along.
But you recently said you are planning suicide squads amongst the Hindus.
No, I meant fighting for the country, that's our dharma. It's about desh bakhti, not about killing others. That's why we have created a Rashtra Raksha Sena.
And how will it operate?
We will not take the law into our own hands, we will not wield weapons.
So it will operate non-violently?
Yes.
Which means you are a fan of Gandhiji's ways.
No. In Karnataka alone we have nabbed seven terrorists and handed them over to the state government. Our job will be to tip-off the police and the state home ministry about illegal activities and anti-national activities. We will wait for them to take action. And if they don't, we will handle it ourselves.
Through non-violent means?
No. There can be violence. We have to stop anti-national agents at all costs.
Have you lost faith in the governments of the state and the nation?
Yes, we are losing faith in politicians. They are going in the wrong direction. Some politicians are helping terrorists! You saw what happened in the Batla House encounter.
They killed two terrorists and arrested one. And Amar Singh gave Rs 10 lakh to that terrorist! He also called the encounter a fake. These politicians are helping terrorists and the law and order machinery has become helpless. We have had 300 terror attacks against the nation.
So you will flush out the terror suspects if the government doesn't act.
Yes, we will attack them, arrest them, and hand them over to the police.
That's like an encounter. Are your boys prepared?
Yes, we will face it.
So you will have to arm your boys with weapons.
When the moment comes, we'll plan the action.
By equipping them with guns?
May be. We are training our people to handle any situation. They will take those decisions on the spot. They will do anything in the interest of the nation.
Where are your training camps located?
In the jungles and villages. We are teaching them karate and yoga. We are training them physically, mentally and ideologically.
Er, you will fight AK 47s and bombs with karate and yoga?
Each member is a bomb in himself.
Are you still aligned with the RSS?
I have always been an RSS Swayamsewak. RSS doesn't belong to any one individual, it belongs to the people. We have an unbreakable bond with them.
Then why did you launch a separate wing?
We had a difference of opinion. I do not want a compromise on Hindutva. They have compromised it by launching a Rashtriya Muslim Manch. They want to take Muslims along, with love and affection. I believe we should not take the lead, they (the Muslims) should come forward. You know, Gandhiji showed so much love to Muslims, what happened in the end? The nation got partitioned. Even Mohammed Paigambar did not love the Muslims as much as Gandhiji did.
What exactly is your problem with Indian Muslims?
Muslims out here were not Muslims originally. They were converted. They were Hindus originally. I want them to return and embrace Hinduism. They are Hindus in reality!
Isn't that a generalisation?
They were all converted, all Muslims in India were Hindus before, and I assure you of that. They were converted by people like Mohammed Gazni, Mohammed Ghori, Akbar, Babur and Aurangzeb. Even now there are attempts going on to convert Hindus.
Do you support Nathuram Godse?
Yes.
But he killed the Father of the Nation.
I don't regard Gandhi as the Father of the Nation. Godse killed him because Gandhi divided this nation, leading to the formation of Pakistan. Gandhi sat on a fast till our money, Rs 55 crore, was given to Pakistan. Godse feared Gandhi would convert what's left of this nation into Pakistan as well. That's why he killed him.
If you were around at the time, you would have killed Gandhiji too?
Yes, one hundred per cent! I would have killed Nehru as well.
Why did you break away from the Shiv Sena?
Because they started dividing people on language and borders. That I did not want. This language divide is making the nation weaker.
Bal Thackeray was your boss once.
Not boss. We had joined hands with them on the idea of a Hindu rashtra. Once the language issue happened, we left them.
What if the Shiv Sainiks don't allow you to enter Mumbai?
No, no, that won't happen. Balasaheb Thackeray has appreciated Shri Ram Sene for its recent efforts. We have their support.
Your Valentine's Day agitation in Bangalore flopped. Thackeray said so.
(Shouts.) It was a huge success! 75% of the celebrations stopped because of us. Only two or three pubs were open. Valentine's Day was a total failure.
When's the next agitation? New Year's Day?
Definitely! We will stop it. All over India. We will organise programmes on desh bhakti on that day so people can attend those.
Next. Define Indian culture.
Our women are talented, and we should encourage them. But nudity, dancing and drinking liquor is not our culture. Also, it's not just drinking, there is a drug and sex mafia behind all this. It's an international conspiracy to destroy Indian culture. These western countries are behind this conspiracy. They introduced the pub culture into India. They brought AIDS, orphanages and old age homes, which is not part of our culture. Our culture upholds family values. In the US and England, 32% of pregnant girls are unmarried teens.
How will you stop all this? Girls working in the IT parks of Bangalore deal with global citizens, socialise with them, that is their work and lifestyle.
We will oppose all this. If women drink at pubs, they will destroy the Indian samaaj. We will put pressure on the central and state governments to shut down all pubs. To ban wine.
The problem is if you ban drinking in public places, youngsters will meet in empty flats to drink, and naughtier stuff will happen. Then what will you do?
(Hesitates.) I accept what you say. But we will stop that too. Parents are becoming more involved. We will educate them with books and through social workers.
You will enter people's homes too.
Definitely! Definitely!
The Amnesia pub attack. Was your problem that the girls were drinking, or that they were hanging out with Muslim boys?
No, there was no religious issue. It was about girls drinking.
Aren't your boys who carried out the attack disappointed with you when you apologised for the incident?
No. I said sorry because the method used was wrong, but the objective was correct. They are our trusted staffers, they didn't feel bad.
Did you reward the attackers?
Yes. Thanks to them, we are an all-India body today. (Smiles.) They are very happy. I congratulated them for their role.
You will never ask your boys to attack girls again?
No, never. I promise. We will protest, we will complain to the police and the government. What happened in Mangalore was in the heat of the moment. Also, my boys were provoked, as one of the girls showed them her chappal.
One of the girls who were attacked, her mother, Ranjana Shetty, called up to thank us. Because she didn't know till then that her daughter goes to a pub. She congratulated us for having beaten up her girl!
You have good relations with the BJP?
No. They are using Hindutva only for electoral gains. They are more interested in power.
Advani has promised a temple in Ayodhya.
(Agitated.) That's all a big naatak. That's election speech. He will not do it. The BJP has cheated the nation. They used Ram to get into power. The moment they gained power, they left Ram. The Shri Ram Sene will build a Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. One hundred per cent!
You don't respect Advani?
We used to. But the moment he supported Jinnah, he spoilt our relations.
Churches are being attacked in Karnataka. Do you approve?
The churches are attacked because they are spoiling the name of Hindus. They are converting Hindus and we want to stop this. Let the Christians pray in their churches. Why are they bringing Hindus there? Even Vivekananda and Gandhiji said conversions are wrong. We want conversions to be banned.
You never married. But suppose you had a daughter, and she announced she's marrying a Muslim, what would you do?
I would stop her. It's a wrong thing. I want to tell all Hindu girls of this nation not to marry Muslim boys. And if they won't listen, I will forcibly stop them.
But earlier you said all Indian Muslims were Hindus once...
Yes, so let them come back to Hinduism first.
Are you against the idea of love?
No, love isn't wrong. But dating is wrong. Fixing dates for love is wrong. Love is for every day, every minute, a beautiful thing. People should not abuse it.
So why didn't you marry, if you believe in love?
Marriage is a bandhan. I wouldn't have found time to do all I am doing for the nation.
Lord Ram, in whose name you operate, married too. And he did quite fine.
(Laughs loudly.) He was Lord Ram. I am only Pramod Mutalik! I don't even think about a wife.
You never dated in college? Didn't feel the biological need for a partner.
The need can be there, but not everyone has to fall in love and marry.
© 2008 MiD-Day Infomedia Ltd. All rights reserved. Powered by Epoch Technologies
August 13, 2008
Hindutva activists disrupting trains in August 13, 2008
VHP and BJP supporters squat on the tracks at Tatanagar railway station in the city on Wednesday. Picture by Bhola Prasad (The Telegraph, August 14, 2008)
– Photo: Praveen Kumar (The Hindu August 14, 2008)
Saffron power: Shiv Sena activists stop a train during a protest in Meerut on Wednesday in support of the transfer of land to Amarnath Shrine Board.
BJP activists decked up as a 'vanara sena' take an auto after a Hyderabad rally to protest the proposed Ram Sethu
An Associated Press Photo in Outlook Magazine, August 18, 2008
September 22, 2007
VHP openly calls Karunanidhi's Murder
Will weigh you in gold if you behead Karunanidhi: VHP's latest
Express News Service
AYODHYA/LUCKNOW, SEPTEMBER 21: Senior VHP leader and former BJP MP Ram
Vilas Vedanti on Friday declared at a press conference that VHP saints of
Ayodhya would weigh in gold anyone who beheaded Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M
Karunanidhi and cut out his tongue.
Speaking out against the BJP's opposition to the Ram Sethu project,
Karunanidhi had recently questioned the existence of Lord Ram and said that
Valmiki described him as a drunkard.
"We will follow the commandments of our religion and nobody can stop us,"
said Vedanti. He said the VHP would file a complaint and a lawsuit against
Karunanidhi in Ayodhya.
Vedanti's statement has got the endorsement of the BJP and VHP units of
Uttar Pradesh. Said Hridaya Narain Dixit, the spokesperson of the BJP's
Uttar Pradesh unit, "Karunanidhi has demeaned Lord Ram, and what Vedanti has
said only reflects the sentiments of crores of people across the nation."
VHP organisational secretary Trilokiji said he had not heard exactly what
Vedanti said, but the VHP would not oppose Vedanti on anything he said
against Karunanidhi for the comments on Lord Ram.
"This is because all Hindus of the country are one against Karunanidhi,"
said Trilokiji.
Meanwhile, VHP leader Vishnu Hari Dalmiya said at a seminar in Gorakhpur
that the UPA government's insensitivity towards the religious feelings of
the majority community had led to the Ram Sethu controversy. He said Ram
Sethu was a unique structure and that studies had shown it was not man-made.
Dalmiya criticised Karunanidhi and the BJP for trying to derive political
mileage from the issue.
*Source:* http://www.indianexpress.com/story/219746.html#
Express News Service
AYODHYA/LUCKNOW, SEPTEMBER 21: Senior VHP leader and former BJP MP Ram
Vilas Vedanti on Friday declared at a press conference that VHP saints of
Ayodhya would weigh in gold anyone who beheaded Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M
Karunanidhi and cut out his tongue.
Speaking out against the BJP's opposition to the Ram Sethu project,
Karunanidhi had recently questioned the existence of Lord Ram and said that
Valmiki described him as a drunkard.
"We will follow the commandments of our religion and nobody can stop us,"
said Vedanti. He said the VHP would file a complaint and a lawsuit against
Karunanidhi in Ayodhya.
Vedanti's statement has got the endorsement of the BJP and VHP units of
Uttar Pradesh. Said Hridaya Narain Dixit, the spokesperson of the BJP's
Uttar Pradesh unit, "Karunanidhi has demeaned Lord Ram, and what Vedanti has
said only reflects the sentiments of crores of people across the nation."
VHP organisational secretary Trilokiji said he had not heard exactly what
Vedanti said, but the VHP would not oppose Vedanti on anything he said
against Karunanidhi for the comments on Lord Ram.
"This is because all Hindus of the country are one against Karunanidhi,"
said Trilokiji.
Meanwhile, VHP leader Vishnu Hari Dalmiya said at a seminar in Gorakhpur
that the UPA government's insensitivity towards the religious feelings of
the majority community had led to the Ram Sethu controversy. He said Ram
Sethu was a unique structure and that studies had shown it was not man-made.
Dalmiya criticised Karunanidhi and the BJP for trying to derive political
mileage from the issue.
*Source:* http://www.indianexpress.com/story/219746.html#
September 12, 2007
Ram Setu: VHP road blockades across India
The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) is conducting a nation-wide road blockade on 12 September 2007 to oppose the government's proposal to make a waterway through the Palk Strait between India and Sri Lanka.
April 30, 2007
Shiv Sainiks instructed to burn Laine's book
Bookshop owners won't stock Laine's Shivaji
By: Urvashi Seth
(Mid-Day, April 30, 2007) After Bal Thackeray’s announcement that he instructed Sainiks to burn the copies of the James Laine’s book, Shivaji — Hindu King in Islamic India, in public, book sellers have become apprehensive about stocking copies of the book.
On Thursday, the Bombay High Court lifted the ban on the book.
According to sources, the Bharatiya Vidhyarthi Sena (BVS) has warned bookshop owners not to keep copies of the book or face strict action.
“Being a part of the Sena, we have requested all bookshop owners not to stock James Laine’s book,” said Abhijeet Panse, president of BVS.
Mandar Nerulkar, owner of the Ideal Book Depot, Dadar, said they won’t be selling the book after Bal Thackeray’s comments.
“The book has many defaming statements against Shivaji. Even though the court has lifted the ban we won’t be selling it, especially after we heard that Shiv Sena has taken an aggressive stance on the issue.”
“It’s very likely that the book won’t be coming into the market. If it comes, we will decide whether to stock it,” said Rohit Tengle of Book Zone at CST
By: Urvashi Seth
(Mid-Day, April 30, 2007) After Bal Thackeray’s announcement that he instructed Sainiks to burn the copies of the James Laine’s book, Shivaji — Hindu King in Islamic India, in public, book sellers have become apprehensive about stocking copies of the book.
On Thursday, the Bombay High Court lifted the ban on the book.
According to sources, the Bharatiya Vidhyarthi Sena (BVS) has warned bookshop owners not to keep copies of the book or face strict action.
“Being a part of the Sena, we have requested all bookshop owners not to stock James Laine’s book,” said Abhijeet Panse, president of BVS.
Mandar Nerulkar, owner of the Ideal Book Depot, Dadar, said they won’t be selling the book after Bal Thackeray’s comments.
“The book has many defaming statements against Shivaji. Even though the court has lifted the ban we won’t be selling it, especially after we heard that Shiv Sena has taken an aggressive stance on the issue.”
“It’s very likely that the book won’t be coming into the market. If it comes, we will decide whether to stock it,” said Rohit Tengle of Book Zone at CST
Christian preacher attacked in Jaipur
Masked intruders go on rampage in house in the vicinity of Chief Minister's official residence
— Photo: PTI
(The Hindu,
April 30, 2007)
Christian preacher attacked in Jaipur
Special Correspondent
BEFORE AND AFTER: Getting ready for the attack on preacher Walter Massey are some men who are covering their faces.
JAIPUR: Masked youth attacked and seriously injured a Christian preacher and went on the rampage in his house in the neighbourhood of the official residence of the Rajasthan Chief Minister here on Sunday afternoon. Walter Massey has been admitted to the emergency ward of the Sawai Man Singh Medical College Hospital here. Authorities there termed his condition stable. No arrest has been made so far.
Mr. Massey runs a small congregation, `Masihi Sanghti,' from his middleclass residence at Nandpuri Bazar. The intruders, numbering 15-20, used sticks and whatever came in handy to attack Mr. Masseyin the presence of his wife and child.
His wife Joyce told this correspondent that initially three persons came seeking to meet her husband. When the door was opened, they engaged the preacher in a conversation and in no time started assaulting him. And more men, covering their faces, joined in the attack.
As the attackers dragged a profusely bleeding Massey out of the house, a neighbour Samuel Roberts, who was passing by, rushed to the Sodala police station, half km away.
Ms. Joyce and the child were not hurt though the intruders broke plastic chairs, utensils and furniture.
— Photo: PTI
The image of the bleeding missionary.
Mr. Roberts said there were around 25 men, who covered their faces and were wielding sticks, outside Mr. Massey's residence.
Assailants on video
Additional Superintendent of Police (South) Subhash Vishnoi said the police were trying to identify the persons spotted on a video on the incident telecast by some TV channels. A case has been registered.
The Congress, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the Jamaat-e-Islami Hind condemned the attack.
Congress general secretary Ashok Gehlot termed it a "very serious matter" and demanded the immediate arrest of the culprits.
"Vishwa Hindu Parishad workers have once again taken law into their own hands in the name of stopping religious conversions in the State and this is condemnable." CPI (M) State secretary Vasudev said, "The Chief Minister and the Home Minister should take the responsibility for the attack," which occurred in the Civil Lines locality."Hardly four days ago did workers of the BJP-affiliated Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarti Parishad attempt to attack the CPI (M) State headquarters on Hatwara Road, he alleged.
Engineer Mohammed Saleem, new president of the State Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, said the attack put a question mark on the very existence of a government in the State.
April 11, 2007
Bajrang Dal activists take to streets over inter-religious marriage
(The Hindu
April 12, 2007)
Madhya Pradesh
Bajrang Dal activists take to streets over inter-community marriage
Staff Correspondent
Photo: A.M. Faruqui
THE CD EFFECT: Bajrang Dal activists protesting against inter-community marriage, in Bhopal on Wednesday.
BHOPAL: Resistance to inter-community marriage was in full display when some splinter groups of Bajrang Dal came out in strength and blocked traffic here on Wednesday in protest against two alleged cases of Hindu girls marrying Muslim boys.
The other day, a girl's father had lodged a `missing person' complaint and the police had started investigating it. On the basis of inputs provided by the father, members of an influential family from another community were interrogated.
The district Superintendent of Police, A. K. Singh, told The Hindu that they were investigating the matter and there was no coercion from any side. The girl had reportedly called up the police over phone saying she had married one Umar with her consent and both of them were adults. She was asked to appear before the Bhopal police or a magistrate to make her statement, the SP said, adding that she chose to appear before the Mumbai High Court and gave her statement.
Bhopal DIG of Police Anuradha Shankar said the police were following the standard procedure in response to the complaint filed by the girl's father. She said the police were not aware of the content of her statement before the High Court. She also refuted allegations against the police and said there had been no illegal detention during the course of the inquiry.
Even as some activist groups belonging to the majority community were agitating over the issue, news spread here that another Hindu girl, a Class XII student from an English medium school, had eloped with a boy from another community. During preliminary investigations, in response to an FIR lodged by the girl's father under Section 366 of the Indian Penal Code which deals with kidnapping, the police have found from the girl's house an affidavit dated March 20, signed by one Rehan, stating that he has changed his religion and his name would now be Rohan. Further investigations revealed that the boy and the girl were married at a local Arya Samaj temple on March 21 and the police have secured a wedding photograph.
Meanwhile, some groups, including members of Bharatiya Janshakti, blocked road traffic at several places here protesting against the "increasing trend of Hindu girls marrying Muslim boys". A call for Bhopal bandh on Thursday has been given by a newly formed outfit called "Hindu Kanya Raksha Samiti". A section of Bajrang Dal activists and those belonging to the majority community were meeting here on Wednesday evening to decide their future strategy.
April 05, 2007
Hyperlink to Hinduphobia
Inside Bay Area
Finding Hindu hatred online
Fremont-based group monitors Web sites promoting intolerance
By Chris De Benedetti, STAFF WRITER
Article Last Updated: 04/04/2007 02:47:08 AM PDT
FREMONT — Longtime organizations that seek to rid the world of religious and racial intolerance have been monitoring Web sites they consider hateful since the medium became available worldwide more than a decade ago.
Now, the Hindu American Foundation, led and founded by Fremont physician Mihir Meghani, is trying to follow the lead of those groups to win a similar battle.
The result is the group's
52-page report titled "Hyperlink to Hinduphobia: Online Hatred, Extremism and Bigotry Against Hindus."
Recently authored by the foundation, the report says that exposing online hate speech is a crucial front in the fight against negative stereotypes about the Hindu religion.
Hinduism is most closely associated with India but has followers around the world. Many Hindus believe in concepts such as karma and reincarnation and in practices including yoga, meditation and a vegetarian diet. The religion also encompasses beliefs ranging from monism — the belief there is just one god — to polytheism — the belief in more than one god, according to the report.
These notable differences from Judeo-Christian beliefs sometimes make it an unfair target of ridicule, Meghani said.
"Though it is less well-known in this country, anti-Hindu bigotry is every bit as ugly and dangerous as anti-Semitism or racism, and every bit as present on the Internet," Jeffery Long, chair of the Religious Studies Department at Elizabethtown College in Pennsylvania,
wrote in the report's foreword.
The report lists 37 Web sites that allegedly are guilty of hate speech toward Hinduism, Meghani said. Words such as "demonic, dirty and filthy" are used on the Web sites to describe the religion, the report states.
"We have to get rid of the idea that 'my path is better than yours,'" Meghani said. "We have to move beyond hate."
Meghani founded the Maryland-based Hindu American Foundation. It has about 5,000 members nationwide.
Its leaders seeks to follow the lead of the Anti-Defamation League and the Southern Poverty Law Center, each of which combat anti-Semitism and racism on the Worldwide Web and beyond. Meghani applauds Jewish groups that have lobbied Internet service providers and search-engine giants such as Google and Yahoo to get rid of online anti-Semitism.
It is a model that Meghani wants to follow.
"This is our attempt to get into that national debate," said Meghani, a Fremont resident since 2000. "If we don't take that responsibility, no one else will."
Hinduism is the most popular religion in India, which has a population of roughly 1 billion people. But American Hindus number only about 2 million in a nation of 300 million, making them less than 1 percent of the population.
"That means we don't have control of how we're represented," Meghani said.
The majority of the Web sites identified in the report as being "anti-Hindu" are Christian. But Hindu American Foundation leaders say their goal is to promote understanding among different religions — not to point fingers.
"I think everyone faces discrimination at some point. This is something everyone should take up," Meghani said. "None of us like to have our religions denigrated, so it makes sense for us to work together to build a better society.
Chris De Benedetti covers Fremont issues. Contact him at (510) 353-7002 or cdebenedetti@angnewspapers.com.
Finding Hindu hatred online
Fremont-based group monitors Web sites promoting intolerance
By Chris De Benedetti, STAFF WRITER
Article Last Updated: 04/04/2007 02:47:08 AM PDT
FREMONT — Longtime organizations that seek to rid the world of religious and racial intolerance have been monitoring Web sites they consider hateful since the medium became available worldwide more than a decade ago.
Now, the Hindu American Foundation, led and founded by Fremont physician Mihir Meghani, is trying to follow the lead of those groups to win a similar battle.
The result is the group's
52-page report titled "Hyperlink to Hinduphobia: Online Hatred, Extremism and Bigotry Against Hindus."
Recently authored by the foundation, the report says that exposing online hate speech is a crucial front in the fight against negative stereotypes about the Hindu religion.
Hinduism is most closely associated with India but has followers around the world. Many Hindus believe in concepts such as karma and reincarnation and in practices including yoga, meditation and a vegetarian diet. The religion also encompasses beliefs ranging from monism — the belief there is just one god — to polytheism — the belief in more than one god, according to the report.
These notable differences from Judeo-Christian beliefs sometimes make it an unfair target of ridicule, Meghani said.
"Though it is less well-known in this country, anti-Hindu bigotry is every bit as ugly and dangerous as anti-Semitism or racism, and every bit as present on the Internet," Jeffery Long, chair of the Religious Studies Department at Elizabethtown College in Pennsylvania,
wrote in the report's foreword.
The report lists 37 Web sites that allegedly are guilty of hate speech toward Hinduism, Meghani said. Words such as "demonic, dirty and filthy" are used on the Web sites to describe the religion, the report states.
"We have to get rid of the idea that 'my path is better than yours,'" Meghani said. "We have to move beyond hate."
Meghani founded the Maryland-based Hindu American Foundation. It has about 5,000 members nationwide.
Its leaders seeks to follow the lead of the Anti-Defamation League and the Southern Poverty Law Center, each of which combat anti-Semitism and racism on the Worldwide Web and beyond. Meghani applauds Jewish groups that have lobbied Internet service providers and search-engine giants such as Google and Yahoo to get rid of online anti-Semitism.
It is a model that Meghani wants to follow.
"This is our attempt to get into that national debate," said Meghani, a Fremont resident since 2000. "If we don't take that responsibility, no one else will."
Hinduism is the most popular religion in India, which has a population of roughly 1 billion people. But American Hindus number only about 2 million in a nation of 300 million, making them less than 1 percent of the population.
"That means we don't have control of how we're represented," Meghani said.
The majority of the Web sites identified in the report as being "anti-Hindu" are Christian. But Hindu American Foundation leaders say their goal is to promote understanding among different religions — not to point fingers.
"I think everyone faces discrimination at some point. This is something everyone should take up," Meghani said. "None of us like to have our religions denigrated, so it makes sense for us to work together to build a better society.
Chris De Benedetti covers Fremont issues. Contact him at (510) 353-7002 or cdebenedetti@angnewspapers.com.
March 27, 2007
Nepal Defence Army wants Hindu state reinstated
(The Hindu
March 27, 2007)
Bomb planted at media office in Nepal
Kathmandu, March 27 (PTI): A bomb was hurled at the regional office of the Kantipur Publication in Biratnagar in eastern Nepal but nobody was injured as it did not explode, media report said today.
The bomb was hurled yesterday by a group calling itself the eastern command of Nepal Defence Army, which is fighting for reinstating Nepal as a Hindu state, The Kathmandu Post reported.
The group detonated another bomb inside the premises of McDowell's Company at Tankisinwari in Morang at the same time but without causing any damage.
The NDA owned responsibility in pamphlets they left at the incident site.
March 27, 2007)
Bomb planted at media office in Nepal
Kathmandu, March 27 (PTI): A bomb was hurled at the regional office of the Kantipur Publication in Biratnagar in eastern Nepal but nobody was injured as it did not explode, media report said today.
The bomb was hurled yesterday by a group calling itself the eastern command of Nepal Defence Army, which is fighting for reinstating Nepal as a Hindu state, The Kathmandu Post reported.
The group detonated another bomb inside the premises of McDowell's Company at Tankisinwari in Morang at the same time but without causing any damage.
The NDA owned responsibility in pamphlets they left at the incident site.
VHP to float 'Hindu Matdata Manch'
(The Times of India
CITIES: LUCKNOW)
VHP to float 'Hindu Matdata Manch'
[ 25 Mar, 2007 0332hrs IST TIMES NEWS NETWORK ]
LUCKNOW: To prevent the division of Hindu votes in the coming assembly elections, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) has decided to float a new forum, 'Hindu Matdata Manch'.
Talking to reporters here on Saturday, the international president of VHP Ashok Singhal said that the first and the foremost issue for the VHP was to prevent division of Hindu votes during the assembly elections. "For that the VHP has decided to constitute a new forum in the name of Hindu Matdata Manch. This organisation will work day in and day night to keep the Hindu votes intact," said Singhal.
While refraining from declaring its open support to the Bharatiya Janata Party, the VHP leader said that his organisation will lend its support to an outfit or a candidate which will pledge to implement the Hindu agenda'. "On our agenda there are seven issues including construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya, goraksha, fight against terrorism and internal security," said Singhal.
Holding the Congress, the SP and the BSP responsible for creating a wedge in 'Hindu society' on the pretext of pseudo-secularism, Singhal said that the new forum floated by the VHP would strive to consolidate the Hindu votes.
Though the VHP chief praised former state chief minister Kalyan Singh by saying that "Hindus mat avam hit surakshit hai unke haath mein," refused to answer queries on whether his outfit would pledge its open support to the BJP.
Referring to Rahul Gandhi's remark on Babri mosque demolition, Singhal said that it was now clear that the Congress wanted to build a mosque at the disputed site in Ayodhya.
CITIES: LUCKNOW)
VHP to float 'Hindu Matdata Manch'
[ 25 Mar, 2007 0332hrs IST TIMES NEWS NETWORK ]
LUCKNOW: To prevent the division of Hindu votes in the coming assembly elections, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) has decided to float a new forum, 'Hindu Matdata Manch'.
Talking to reporters here on Saturday, the international president of VHP Ashok Singhal said that the first and the foremost issue for the VHP was to prevent division of Hindu votes during the assembly elections. "For that the VHP has decided to constitute a new forum in the name of Hindu Matdata Manch. This organisation will work day in and day night to keep the Hindu votes intact," said Singhal.
While refraining from declaring its open support to the Bharatiya Janata Party, the VHP leader said that his organisation will lend its support to an outfit or a candidate which will pledge to implement the Hindu agenda'. "On our agenda there are seven issues including construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya, goraksha, fight against terrorism and internal security," said Singhal.
Holding the Congress, the SP and the BSP responsible for creating a wedge in 'Hindu society' on the pretext of pseudo-secularism, Singhal said that the new forum floated by the VHP would strive to consolidate the Hindu votes.
Though the VHP chief praised former state chief minister Kalyan Singh by saying that "Hindus mat avam hit surakshit hai unke haath mein," refused to answer queries on whether his outfit would pledge its open support to the BJP.
Referring to Rahul Gandhi's remark on Babri mosque demolition, Singhal said that it was now clear that the Congress wanted to build a mosque at the disputed site in Ayodhya.
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