VHP'sDharma Sansad in Haridwar
Dharma Sansad resolves to fight for Ram Temple
By Ravindra Saini in Haridwar
More than 1,500 saints, assembled at the VHP's11th Dharma Sansad held in Haridwar, have given one year to the UPA government to pave the way for reconstruction of Sri Ram temple in Ayodhya. ?The Dharma Sansad appeals to the government to hand over the entire Sri Ramjanmabhoomi premises to the Ramjanmabhoomi Nyas by enacting a law in Parliament before the ardhakumbha of 2007, failing which the Hindu society will be forced to initiate massive agitations all over the country,? a resolution moved by Swami Hansdas and supported by all saints, said.
Condemning the jehadi attack on Sri Ramjanmabhoomi on July 5, 2005, the Dharma Sansad exhorted the Hindu society to stand firmly against the threats to Sri Ramjanmabhoomi and also for protection of their mutts and mandirs. The satins warned the Central government, the jehadi terrorists as well as to all those who support the anti-national forces directly or indirectly, that if any religious place of Hindus was targeted in any part of the country further, it would follow a strong reaction all over the country. The saints expressed concern that despite repeated pleas, the sensitive areas in western side of Sri Ramjanmabhoomi had not yet been acquired by the government.
The two-day Dharma Sansad began on December 13 at the banks of the Ganga in Haridwar. It is for the first time that the Dharma Sansad is being organised at six places. Besides Haridwar, separate Dharma Sansads are scheduled to be held in Karnavati, Prayag, Guwahati, Jagannathpuri, and Tirupati. Before the Dharma Sansad, the Kendriya Margdarshak Mandal of VHP met on December 11 and 12. Prominent saints who participated in the Dharma Sansad included Swami Vishweshteertha Maharaj, Swami Parmananda, Mahant Nritya Gopaldas, Swami Satyamitrananda, Swami Awadheshananda Giri, Swami Kalyanananda Saraswati, Swami Vidyananda Giri, Dr Ramvilas Das Vedanti and others.
The Dharma Sansad has unanimously decided to observe Sri Ram mahotsva in all cities and villages from March 30 to Ramnavami in 2006. During this period, separate public sankalap samarohs will be held for exhorting Hindus to hoist saffron flag at their houses, resolving for reconstruction of Sri Ram temple and also for making people politically aware. By the ardhakumbha in 2007, countrywide mass awareness campaigns will continue and during this period all the religious leaders will perform yajnas in Ayodhya as per their traditions praying for reconstruction of Sri Ram temple. Meanwhile, efforts will be made to persuade temples to start akharas, health centres, free food for poor, sanskar kendras, Veda pathshalas, goshalas, dharmashalas, etc.
Speaking at the Dharma Sansad, Shri Ashok Singhal, VHP president, appealed to the saints to be alert from the activities of their opponents. ?While expanding your activities in the society, the satins are respectfully requested to keep in mind that their activities, knowingly or unknowingly, do not benefit the anti-Hindu forces,? Shri Singhal said and called upon the saints to take up the cause of renovating the scrambling temples in remote areas. In order to exert pressure on political parties and also to keep them aware of Hindu interests, Shri Singhal stressed the need for developing a Hindu voters group in the country.
Later, a resolution was also moved in the Dharma Sansad suggesting the need for developing a solid Hindu vote-bank in the country. ?The Dharma Sansad decides that a Hindu vote-bank should be developed for the protection of religious, social, cultural and political rights of 85 crore Hindus. The only reason for flouting the sentiments of majority community and appeasement of minorities by political leaders is that Muslim society always acts as a united vote-bank, which is not done by Hindus. The solution to this problem is the formation of a solid Hindu vote-bank, which will influence the Indian politics irrespective of any particular political party,? the resolution said and added that the saints would visit every Assembly and Lok Sabha segment to form the Hindu vote-bank based on a Hindu charter of demands. The charter of demands includes the issue of reconstruction of temples in Ayodhya, Mathura and Kashi, effective law banning cow slaughter, law against conversions, repealing of Article 370, implementation of common civil code, deportation of three crore Bangladeshi infiltrators, handing over the control of Hindu mutt and mandirs to autonomous bodies, stringent laws against jehadi terrorists, control over media against spreading cultural pollution, indigenous model of economic development and protection of purity of Indian rivers.
In another resolution, the saints expressed strong resentment over the arrest of free flow of the Ganga in Tehri dam. They said the misdeed that even the British government could not do had been done by our own government in the name of development. The saints warned the government to release the Ganga from Tehri dam forthwith, otherwise the religious significance of Haridwar, Prayg, Kashi, Patna, Kolkata and other places would be lost for ever. They said the government must follow the accord between Pt. Madan Mohan Malaviya and the British government. The saints warned if the government did not announce the release of original Bhagirathi water within one month they would be forced to launch an agitation during the Magh mela of Prayag.
In another resolution, the Dharma Sansad appealed to all governments to free temples from their control and hand them over to the autonomous religious councils headed by dharmacharyas and Hindu society. Calling upon the Hindu society to visit the temples every day and ensure proper religious ceremonies including bhajan, keertan, etc., irrespective of their caste or creed, the saints demanded that the government should declare Srimadbhagvad Gita the national book. Expressing grave concern over the growing demographic imbalance in the country the saints appealed to the government to immediately and honestly implement common civil code in the country.
