Hindutva, Hindunasjonalisme og Bharatiya Janata Party En ...

increase our own strength in the new Assembly to the maximum possible extent, so that
we emerge as an effective alternative to the discredited Congress party.
Politics of mass mobilization and agitation
Friends, my long experience in politics tells me that a political party heightens its
strength and brightens its public profile through three types of activities, and I'll mention
them in the order of their effectiveness. Of course, the first and the most effective means
is one's performance in an election - be it a parliamentary election, assembly election or
a local body election. The second is the path of mass mobilization in struggles intended
to champion people's causes and to defend the interests of our nation. The third is
holding of political rallies.
Due to a combination of factors -- the foremost of which was the fact that we were
ourselves in government for six long years - our Party has not organized any large-scale
nationwide protest action in recent times. Our mass mobilization on the Ayodhya issue in
the late '80s and early '90s was the last such effort. However, I am surprised that within
six months of the Congress-led UPA government at the Centre, one issue after another is
knocking at our doors to be picked up for mass mobilization and mass protest.
Recently, the BJP demonstrated its mass mobilization capabilities by taking up two issues
that touched the hearts and minds of every patriot in this country - namely, the insult
meted out by the UPA government and the Congress-Communist combine to a national
hero, Veer Savarkar, and to a national icon, the Tricolour.
Arrest of Shankaracharya, an assault on Hinduism
Now two more issues have arisen that demand a firm and resolute response from the
BJP. One has hurt people's pockets and the other has deeply wounded people's faith.
The arrest of the Shankaracharya of Kanchi Math, His Holiness Jayendra Saraswati
Swamiji, in a criminal case in Tamil Nadu is unprecedented in the spiritual and political
annals of India. The manner of his arrest, the manner of his incarceration, and the
campaign of slander launched against him and the Kanchi Math by the two principal
parties in the state, joined by the communists and all the anti-Hindu forces in this
country, have jolted the Hindu society like no other event in recent times has.
Two factors have principally contributed to this shocking turn of events. One is the
politics of vendetta, confrontation, one-upmanship and social divisiveness that has
marred both the society and polity in Tamil Nadu in recent times. The other is the
general climate of pseudo-secularism in our country in which maligning of the Hindu
faith, hurting of Hindu sentiments and denial of legitimate Hindu interests have been
made the ultimate and sole criterion of one's commitment to secularism.
I would like to pose the following questions for the people of India to ponder:
• Why did the then Congress government at the Centre apologise to a certain
Muslim seminary in UP when, in 1994, the IB had to conduct a raid on a hostel
inside the seminary to nab suspected ISI-backed terrorists with links to a terrorist
act in Jammu & Kashmir? The Central government dispatched two senior ministers
to the seminary to express regrets for the police action.
• What would happen if a Central minister were to say in a public meeting that he is
ashamed of being a Muslim or a Christian?
• Why is raising one's voice against fraudulent conversions of poor tribals and other
indigent people considered a communal act in this country?
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