Hindu saints deliberate on polity, society By Sunita Govind

VHP Dharma Sansad at Haridwar
Hindu saints deliberate on polity, society
By Sunita Govind

Crucial issues pertaining to Hindu society and polity figured prominently in the deliberations of the apex decision-making body of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, the Kendriya Margdar-shak Mandal, which met in Haridwar, Uttaranchal on June 14-15.

Over 150 prominent religious leaders from across the country, besides senior functionaries of the Parishad including Ashok Singhal, Praveenbhai Togadia and Acharya Giriraj Kishore participated in the meeting at the Nishkam Seva Trust Bhavan, which adopted several resolutions voicing the concerns of the Hindu society.

Expressing serious concern over the plight of the Hindu society due to the anti-Hindu politics pursued in the country, the revered saints lamented that all politicians and political parties in the country were deeply mired in communal appeasement and were engaged in a suicidal dance of anti-Hinduism and anti-nationalism.

The saints asked those politicians playing with Hindu society and sentiments to seek an apology and take sanyas from politics.

Expressing serious concern over the growing tendency of the state governments to control Hindu temples, the Margdarshak Mandal demanded implementation of the important suggestions of the Commission chaired by Sir C.P. Ramaswamy Ayyar in 1956.

The prominent saints who took part in the two-day meeting included Shankaracharya of Jyotishpeeth Swami Vasudeva-nandji, Swami Avdeshanand Giri, Mahamandleshwar of the Juna Akhara, Mahant Keshav Das of Digambari Akhara, Swami Vishvesh Teertha of Pejawar Mutt, Udipi, Mahant Hans Das, general secretary of the Akhil Bharatiya Sant Samaj, Mahant Nritya Gopal Das of Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas, Swami Parmananda Saraswati of the Akhara Parishad, Swami Avichal Das from Gujarat, Acharya Dharmendra and Swami Satyamitranand of Bharat Mata Mandir.

The saints, exhorted the ?neglected but wise? leaders of such political parties to overhaul their organisations and make the protection of Hindu interests their sole objective.

They said that is was the primary duty of Hindu saints and organisations to awaken a strong political will and resolve for the establishment of a Hindu rashtra.

The meeting also expressed grave concern over the increasing population of Muslims vis-?-vis the diminishing growth rate of Hindus in the country.

It noted that according to the 2001 Census, the Hindu population grew by a mere 20 per cent, whereas the Muslim population had increased by a whopping 36 per cent.

In a resolution on the ?Population Imbalance?, the Margdarshak Mandal pointed out that dozens of districts in Tripura, Assam and West Bengal were on the verge of becoming Muslim-majority due to the incessant infiltration from Bangladesh.

Smacking a design by Islamic imperialists to change the country'sdemographic pattern, the saints directed all political parties to give up their policy of appeasement and work for national interests by taking positive steps to rectify the population imbalance.

They demanded an immediate implementation of the Uniform Civil Code, prevention of infiltration from Bangladesh, extradition of illegal migrants and legal steps to check Muslim couples from producing more than two children.

Asserting that societies with larger population commanded greater influence on the world, they exhorted the Hindu society to make positive contribution to the Hindu population to counter the dangerous crisis caused by the increasing Muslim population.

Describing the Bhagwad Gita as the ?scripture for the entire mankind?, the saints demanded that it be declared the ?national scripture? on the lines of the national song, national anthem and national flag.

Swami Avdeshanand Giri told reporters that a conference would be organised shortly in this regard at Kurukshetra in Haryana, where Lord Krishna gave his sermon on the battlefield.

Expressing serious concern over the growing tendency of the state governments to control Hindu temples, the Margdarshak Mandal demanded implementation of the important suggestions of the Commission chaired by Sir C.P. Ramaswamy Ayyar in 1956.

The Mandal is of a definite view that an autonomous federation be set up, which would be legally empowered to look into any complaints of mismanagement. It also demanded creation of a separate fund in major temples so that it could be utilised for religious education.

The saints directed the state governments to hand over the management of all temples to the autonomous body forthwith and liberate them from government control.

To mark the centenary of the ?Vande Mataram? movement which foiled the British attempts to partition Bengal in 1905, the Board called upon VHP activists to organise programmes from August 14 (Akhand Bharat Diwas) to October 16 (when the Partition was undone) to expose and defeat divisionary forces in the country.

The saints also expressed deep concern over the increasing cattle-trafficking to Pakistan. It said the recent Pakistani decision to allow import of five items including cattle was fraught with dangerous consequences as it was not meant for development of the dairy industry there but to provide cheap beef to its Muslim citizens.

Such exports would not only reduce the country'scattle population but also deprive Indians of milk and milk products. A resolution adopted at the meeting asked the Government of India to enact the necessary legislation to prevent such exports through rail and road routes.

A meeting of the high-powered committee of the Ram Temple Construction Committee on June 13 reiterated the resolve of the saints to construct a grand Ram temple at the Ram Janmabhoomi site and asked the government to return the 67 acres land acquired by it to the Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas to pave the way for construction of the temple.

VHP senior vice-president, Acharya Giriraj Kishore told a press conference on the concluding day that VHP'smanaging committee would meet on June 28-29 in Amritsar to give shape to the decisions of the Margdarshak Mandal. He also announced that six meetings of the ?Dharam Sansad? would be held across the country to strengthen the Ram Janmabhoomi movement.