Anatomy Of Hate
Masquerading As Dharma
By Lalita Ramdas (in Alibag,
Maharashtra, India)
South Asia Citizens Wire
30 April 2003
On April 16 2003, Praveen
Togadia [Gen Sec VHP] was billed to be the star speaker at a `VIRAAT
DHARMA SABHA to be held on the premises of an English language
school in ROHA the adjacent block to Alibag. Our little district town
was full of saffron banners carrying the announcement. We thought we
might drive down to listen and educate ourselves.
In the event, Togadia was
arrested for making inflammatory speeches and distribution of Trishuls
in Rajasthan just a few days prior to his arrival in our district. However,
inquiries revealed that the Roha `Dharma Sabha was to be held
nonetheless, and would be addressed by Swami Dharmendra. So we decided
that two colleagues would attend the event and bring us the feed-back.
What follows below is based on an eyewitness account.
First the setting:
A huge stage set up in the grounds of the Raathee College in Roha. The
back drop was a huge picture of the projected Ram Mandir at Ayodhya
in the centre, flanked on one side by a larger-than-life size poster
painting of the encounter between Shivaji and Afzal Khan in all
its gory detail of steel claws daggers and blood and on
the other, an equally large poster of Lord Ram. Smaller size colour
posters of the Shivaji-Afzal encounter were distributed as `free-bees
to all those who attended it is enough to send shivers down the
spine and fill the minds of our Muslim brothers and sisters with
understandable fear and foreboding.
Group singing and recordings
of bhajans and slokas in Marathi and Hindi covering a repertoire
of favourites of Shivaji, Satya Sai Baba, and others, dedicated to a
number of deities which included Devi, Shankar, Ganpathi and Ram Lalla,
kept the audience entertained. From all accounts this was the only remotely
`religious touch in the entire evening! The volume of the sound
system was turned up to the maximum, and drowned out all else for about
45 minutes or so as the crowd filled up and they waited for the Guest
of Honor Acharya Dharmendra - to arrive.
The audience seemed to comprise
primarily young men (estimates vary from about 1500 to 2000)
with a sprinkling of saffron sari clad young women volunteers
who were showing people to their seats making announcements etc.
According to our source, `they appeared to be jobless young males between
the ages of 15 25 who were probably `trucked in from a
number of outlying villages.
The arrival of every special
invitee was heralded by the playing of the traditional `dhol and
setting off of fireworks which were at their loudest at the arrival
of the Acharya Dharmendra the Chief speaker for the evening who
was substituting for Togadia. Most of the special guests on the dais
were representatives of the regional VHP or RSS or Shiv Sena,
Basically the Acharya and
his colleagues made a series of virulent speeches where the primary
message, in sum and substance, was that the holy duty of Hindu Youth
[in fact of the Hindu clan as a whole] was to kill and
finish off the Muslims the `offspring of the traitor Afzal Khan
who were scattered across the Konkan region, and elsewhere across the
country and work with one aim in mind namely to establish
a Hindu Rashtra.
It is educative to be walked
through the main arguments which were clever as they were comprehensive.
The speakers who preceded the Acharya set the scene as it were by repetitive
reaffirmation of some basic trends:
Reasons why `our Hindu culture was superior, was under attack
and needed to be defended.
How Manavtha (Humanity) could be established world wide
only when a Hindu Rashtra was established in India.
That it was the Muslims who bred like rabbits and never accepted
family planning. If this pattern continued, their population would soon
overtake that of the Hindus hence Hindus needed self defence.
The Government at the Centre comprises a bunch of thieves ; it continues
to appease Muslims and has no shame whatsoever.
Up until now, Hindus had been moderate in their demands claiming
only three sites for temple building Ayodhya, Mathura and Varanasi,
while the actual numbers destroyed by the Muslims is over 30,000!!
However our patience is now exhausted and we will soon be making demands
for all 30,000 masjids to be destroyed and temples restored or rebuilt.
All Jehadis are Muslims and vice versa and so they must
be destroyed just in the same way that Shivaji did with Afzal Khan
[pointing to the visual behind him]
Acharya Dharmendra basically
focused on the theme of Hindutva and its importance;
If Muslims want to continue to live here, they can only do so provided
they all become Hindus.
However we should actually finish them off "Hum Mussalmaano
ko khatm karma Hai maar daalenge",
In this region of Shivaji, he extolled Shivajis example and exhorted
those present to follow his example and finish off all the descendants
of Afzal Khan just as Shivaji did.
He openly and viciously ran down and condemned Gandhi, Nehru, Indira
and Sonia in foul language claimed that it was Gandhi who was
responsible for the break up of India and the partition and creation
of Pakistan.
Used foul and derogatory language while referring to Muslims
words like `Jehadi Kasais.
Claimed that ever since Independence, too many Muslims had been given
positions of importance in public life and it had brought not
benefits whatever, but terrorist acts, Godhra, and other such actions
around the country.
Lambasted Gehlot for arresting Togadia - [in Rajasthan] and accused
him of wanting to please the `Gori Rang {white} woman - the `doll
from across the seven seas.
Referring to the distribution of Trishuls as a perfectly legitimate
and harmless activity he asked how the weapon of Lord Shiva could
be compared to the AK 47s which are carried by all the Jehadis and Terrorists.
He said there was no other logic but that of becoming a Hindu Rashtra
just as there was an `Arab Rashtra, an `Afghan Rashtra,
etc
He claimed that our sarkar had no manhood left was unable to
take any strong action against Pakistan or Muslims whereas they
should all have become like Mahishasura and dealt with them accordingly.
He also emphasized to the audience that Indias poverty was due
entirely to the fact that the Govt continued to spend the sum of Rs
22,000/- on every Haj Pilgrim.
Antulay a former Chief Minister of Maharashtra was attacked for
having encouraged the smuggling and landing of RDX along the Konkan
Coast.
He also pointed to the Shahbano case about which people had very
little idea or information, as an example of appeasement policy.
S Most dangerous of all he kept repeating that they would repeat
Gujarats across the country.