|
Letter to BJP President, Hindu Youth and Activists
Subject:
i) For National unity and
electoral success, BJP must consolidate the 80% Hindu voters by vigorously
taking up their legitimate issues like autonomy of temples and equal opportunity
in education and jobs; ii) Karnataka CM’s statement to "cut off arms of church
vandals” represents modus operandi of Mogul tyrants.
Aadarniya Shri Gadkari ji and BJP Leaders,
Dear Hindu Youth and Activists,
While
congratulating the new leadership for assuming the charge of the party affairs
we submit that for years we have been communicating with BJP leadership, in one
form or the other, emphasizing the need for concentrating on the core
constituency and the grassroots towards building a dependable power base for
complete socio-political transformation of
India including its
governing structure. Being bogged down by other consideration, some of them
nothing but diversionary and frivolous, our submissions and suggestions
remained unattended consequently floundering the timely signals and
opportunities available to the party. And the outcome of this lack of attention
and indifference is obvious. It is our hope that under your dynamic leadership
the modus operandi of BJP will change and a new era of engaging general public
in reforming the socio-political climate of India will ensue.
The ideological and
methodological incoherence of the party seems to have deepened so much that one
of its Chief Minister’s namely Mr. Yeddyurappa of Karnataka, wished to enforce
the Mogul method of administering justice when he threatened to “cut off arms of
church vandals.” Surely the Indian citizenry does not want any
party much less BJP to re-impose the butchery for which the Muslim conquerors of
India were known. We
are deeply dismayed by Mr. Yeddyurappa's statement demonstrating his contempt
for jurist prudence, religious freedom in a conflict torn era and lack of
vision. His statement clearly gave a free license for the use of violence to
hoodlums and extremists sheltered within the predatory religions. (Attachment
A).
1)
While prescribing serious though ultra constitutional punishment for the
culprits, who misbehaved towards a particular religious formation, the said CM
ingloriously failed to administer any warnings against those who systematically
encroached upon the Hindu religious domain with intent to
decimate religious equality and freedom of
India’s majority community.
Did he not consider it a part of his responsibility to uphold and defend the
equality and freedom of all religions? It is not difficult to conclude that his
patronage and outright support to a selected religious formation was pregnant
with short sightedness, appeasement and traces of vote bank politics.
BJP and its CM must realize
that suppression of religious freedom to Hindus, in violation of a secular
Constitution, is one of the major causes of the progressively increasing
religious disharmony. Furthermore, the CM has erroneously neglected BJP's
commitment to autonomy of temples as proclaimed in its election manifesto of
April 2008 (attachment B).
2) Considering the
lack of initiative and enthusiasm shown by BJP and its functionaries towards the
issues of concern to Hindus or” Hindu Agenda” for which it has
already paid a very heavy price it is desirable that under the new leadership it
launches a course correction in an attempt to regain the lost popularity and
constituency. For a starter it may consider directing BJP ruled states to
implement the party’s commitment towards restoring the autonomy of temples
thereby bringing all religions at par in their standing, status and stature.
In line with BJP’s stand in
favor of an open Govt. the party may re-introduce transparency in temple
management for exposing any suspicions and allegations about corruption and
mismanagement generated by the ongoing close operations of temples and
endowments. Such openness will go a long way in enhancing its credibility.
3) Rather than imitating the
pseudo secular parties and pamper minority religionists BJP could do well by
adopting a pragmatic path of consolidating over 80% Hindus that form India’s
national majority. It could vigorously liberate and integrate
Valmiki Dalits and OBCs into the Hindu main stream. Such efforts at
consolidation and unification are bound to result in huge political & electoral
dividends. During the six years of BJP rule at the Center the Hajj subsidies (
another form of Jaziya) for Muslims were increased from Rs. 62 crores to over
Rs. 200 crores annually, and during the 2004 elections they were further
promised additional 2 lakh Muslim teachers for teaching Urdu in Bihar.
What a generous gift by
nationalist and patriotic party to strengthen the Muslim separatism !
Yet the party did precious little towards removing the concerns of its core
constituency – the Hindus. The negligence exhibited by the party towards the
Hindus naturally eroded people’s confidence and trust in it. If political
success is the objective BJP cannot but divorce itself from this kind of
divisive and appeasement based unproductive strategy.
4)
In their January, 2010 meeting in Hyderabad, the Hindu
Dharma Acharya Sabha (HDAS), representing over 100 religious Heads -
Mathadhipathis, Dharmacharyas, MahaMandaleshwars, Adheenams and heads of various
sampradayas comprising the Sanathana Dharma – expressed its profound opposition
against the state control of temples. It
demanded that "the Govt. control on Hindu places of worship must yield to
autonomous bodies, run by members of the same religion. It further warned that
there should be no role for the Govt. in running of our temples." BJP can ignore
this unanimous proclamation of the apex body of Hindus only at its own peril.
5)
In June 08 we forwarded a memo to CM Yeddyurappa, drawing his attention to the
court decree regarding the autonomy of temples. The verdict
concluded that the legislation violated Articles 14, 25 and 26 of the
Constitution which provided for right to equality, freedom of conscience and
freedom of profession, practice and propagation of religion and also the freedom
to manage the religious affairs. We also requested that the Judge Rama Jois
report and his recommendations on temple autonomy be made public. However, the
Govt. decision on this issue is yet to see the light of the day ( Ref. 1). Some
relevant excerpts from the aforementioned memo may be seen in Attachment C.
6) Closing
Remarks and suggestions:
To make amends for the
indiscreet and inflammatory declaration by the Karnataka CM such as "cutting off
hands" and to allay any doubts in Hindu minds
it is suggested that a high level
national panel be formed to focus on campaigning and ensuring implementation of
the urgent issues that concern BJP’s core constituency.
BJP must not follow the
anti-Hindu policies of the secular ruling class in states ruled by it and then
hypocritically recite the mantra of “freedom of religion.”
Neither Hindus nor intelligent Indians
are persuaded by such double talk. To remove confusion the party must adopt a
pro-people direction. For instance it should aggressively take action on the
following:
6 A)
" Equal Freedom for all religions"; i)
After enforcing
it in BJP ruled states the party should launch a strong campaign for unshackling
Hindu religious infrastructure from the unconstitutional Govt. control across
India;
and, ii) starting with BJP ruled states, demand the immediate formation of
Interim Advisory Hindu Councils for oversight of the Endowment departments till
de-nationalization is complete;
6 B)
"Equal opportunity in Education" :
The party
should spearhead a crusade for providing equal opportunity for students from all
poor families,
as against the Congress/ UPA regime's preferential scholarships to Muslim
students, while the so called 'upper caste students' with meager economic means
are denied any support whatsoever. There must be equal opportunity in financial
assistance to all poor students irrespective of their religion. The poor
students from the unclassified categories must also be treated at par (Ref 2,
3); To comply with the principles of
secular doctrine, economic criteria should dictate who should or should not be
provided assistance and not religion, unless like congress BJP also wants to
follow Jinnah’s “two nation theory”.
Social Equality and
Justice:
BJP cadre should be directed to work with Valmiki Dalits and OBCs on the issues
that concern them, including their access to temples, socializing with them,
make them a part of the main stream. Their integration with rest of the 80%
Hindu masses should be full, complete and well cemented.
6 C) BJP should Lead
in making Constitution equitable by: i) It must undertake the task of
amending the Concurrent List to stop its abuse by the state authorities
for taking over temples and their estates, resulting in financial suffocation,
mismanagement, manipulation and demolition of the Hindu religious
infrastructure; and, ii) amending
Article 30 that is discriminatory and disallows establishment of Hindu
Educational Institutions to help provide education for the poor,
by barring them from getting the needed financial benefits as allowed to the
minority institutions.
Such discrimination in making education available to
“young
India” is
simply unconscionable”.
6 D) It is highly
desirable that these issues of mass appeal be discussed at the forthcoming BJP
convention in mid- February. They must be seriously
deliberated upon since the secular ruling class uses them as tools of
discrimination and isolation of minorities against Hindus in general. Such
“divide and rule” strategy does not only weaken
India from within but it
defeats the very fundamentals of secularism on which the Indian political system
is built. It is needless to point out that by allowing the opportunist rulers
assembled under the pseudo-secularist umbrella to utilize these divisive
strategies for debilitating and disuniting the Indian majority (read Hindus)
they are essentially and methodically dismantling the core constituency of BJP.
For its own sake and for
preserving the content and character of traditional
India
BJP must oppose and fight tooth and nail these disintegrative policies for they
threaten the very survival of
Hindustan.
The campaign and enforcement of the items suggested above will enthuse the
general masses towards building a justice based society, give party a new look
and hopefully set the country on the right course i.e., equality, freedom,
unity, progress and loyalty to motherland.
We must remember that a party capable of building
its power base, rank and file and structure of its general policies on these
principles cannot be stopped from leading the masses to new heights of political
prominence that heavily influences the governance of the land.
Thanks
for your time,
Dr. Jagan Kaul
Krishan Bhatnagar
Hindu Jagran Forum (USA)
February 11, 2010
Ref 1.
Karnataka: Congrats CM Yeddyurappa:
Please Liberate Hindu temples .....(June 11, 2008) -
http://www.bharatjagran.com/
Ref 2:
An Appeal to Hindu Leaders: Fight for
freeing temples from Govt. control and Equal Opportunity in Education - (July
21, 2009)-
http://www.bharatjagran.com/
Ref 3:
A Call for Total Transformation of Hindustan:
Governance, national goals, Leadership - all must be reformed, Jan. 07, 2010 -
http://www.bharatjagran.com/
Attachment A
Yeddyurappa says cut off arms of
church vandals
IANS
ibnlive.in.com; Published on Wed, Jan 27, 2010 in Politics section
Bangalore: Karnataka
Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa, who has been criticised for vandalisation of
churches in the state, on Wednesday said hands of those who indulge in such acts
should be "cut off".
"I am telling you chop off
the hands of these people if you catch them," Yeddyurappa told a public meeting
in Karwar in Uttara Kannada district.
"You may wonder why a Chief Minister is saying such things. But what can be done
when people try to hit at the very basis of our society, that of peace and
brotherhood?" he said.
And he repeated: "cut off those hands".
On Monday, a statue of Mother Mary in the premises of Holy Family church at
Hinkal, about 10 km from Mysore, was broken and the glass casing of a grotto of
St. Mary at St. Antony's Church in Teranmakki village, 10 km from Bhatkal city,
in Uttara Kannada district, was vandalised.
Governor H R Bhardwaj
referred to the incidents in his Republic Day address Tuesday.
"Karnataka has long been distinguished for its tolerant and peace-loving
citizens. People from all communities and faiths have lived here for centuries
in harmony. The fresh attacks on churches are regrettable," the governor said in
the presence of Yeddyurappa, his cabinet colleagues and top civil and police
officials at the Republic Day function in
Bangalore.
"It is the constitutional duty of every government to deal firmly with the
forces which tend to disturb communal peace and harmony," Bhardwaj said.
Yeddyurappa said Monday and reiterated the next day that the frequent attacks on
churches was a conspiracy to bring bad name to his government.
"The fact that these took place on the eve of the Republic Day clearly showed it
was a conspiracy to tarnish the image of my government," he asserted.
http://ibnlive.in.com/news/yeddyurappa-says-cut-off-arms-of-church-vandals/109272-37.html?from=tn
Attachment B
BJP to free
Temples from
Government Control
April 3, 2009
Haindavakeralam.com
The Election Manifesto released today by BJP stresses on an important aspect and
long time demand of Hindu devotees - To free Hindu temples from the clutches of
Secular politicians.
Manifesto States
The
BJP shall ensure autonomous administration of Maths and Mandirs.These
institutions have been the heart and hub of dharmic and cultural life and
traditions of Indian society. Huge properties were offered to Maths and Mandirs
by society for running their religio-cultural activities and service projects
for the benefit of all.
The management of such institutions should be freed from Government control and
handed over to autonomous bodies constituted by the followers and devotees of
those seats. Necessary legal framework will be provided for this purpose.
All dharmic activities will be considered as ‘charity’ with appropriate tax
incentives. A special cell will be created to make dharmic organisations’
interface with government agencies hassle-free.
A National Mission for beautifying and improving the infrastructure and
amenities at pilgrimage centres of all faiths will be launched.
http://www.haindavakeralam.com/HKPage.aspx?PageID=8503&SKIN=B
====================
Attachment C
Excerpts from the June, 2008 letter to Chief Minister Yeddyurappa of Karnataka
(Karnataka:
Congrats CM Yeddyurappa: Please Liberate Hindu temples .....(June 11,
2008) -
http://www.bharatjagran.com/)
A)
Autonomy of temples is an urgent issue:
The Karnataka state is making Temples dysfunctional by siphoning off their
revenue to promote adversarial religions – In the year 2002-2003, out of Rs 79
crores of temple revenues, Rs. 59.15 crores was given away to mosques, Madrasas,
Hajj, etc., Rs. 12.75 crores was given to Christian institutions and a mere Rs.
7.1 crores were allocated to maintain over 248,000 temples. Such discrimination
against Hindus and religious patronage for Muslims and Christians is highly
questionable, illegal and provocative to Hindus worldwide. During the five years
of the report from 1997 to 2002 some 19,000 temples were closed in Karnataka.
Govt. control
denies Vital Functions of temples:
The temples are not just for rituals by purohits and objects of tourism as the
endowments department would have us believe, but also the centers of community's
socio-cultural and religious life, a place of learning with Acharya, for
community sewa, dharma prachar and for character building. The exposition of the
grandeur of Hinduism - its Vedas, Upanishads, Ramayana, Mahabharata, the Bhagwad
Geeta - its glorious ancient culture, spirituality and values that the community
would like to project and propagate - are not only being currently denied by
state control, but the deliberate and irreversible Govt. actions in liquidating
resources of endowments meant for sustenance in perpetuity could stop these for
good.
B)
The Karnataka High Court has
upheld the obvious Constitutional mandate by striking down the Karnataka Hindu
Religious Institutions and Charitable Endowment Act, 1997 terming it
unconstitutional. The verdict concluded that the legislation
violated Articles 14, 25 and 26 of the Constitution which provided for right to
equality, freedom of conscience and freedom of profession, practice and
propagation of religion and also the freedom to manage the religious affairs.
It is
understood that the committee appointed by the Govt. and headed by the former
Chief Justice of the
Punjab and
Haryana High Court, Shri Rama Jois, to review the Endowment legislation, had
submitted its recommendations. We believe that there is an urgent need for its
review by jurists and Community leaders. Steps also need to be taken to
establish a Hindu Board by the administration.
C)
Professedly 'Secular' Karnataka
penalizes Hinduism and patronizes Christianity at a great cost to the exchequer:
By imposing Govt. control the state authorities are virtually leading the
process of demolishing Hindu religious infrastructure and thereby Hinduism
itself. Yet it goes out of the way to encourage evangelization - a case in point
is Govt. providing facilities to Priest Benny Hinn, with an avowed aim of mass
conversions, at the State government's Jakkur Airfield Training Ground on
January 21-23, 2005 (Ref
1).
"In an affidavit filed in the High Court, S. Mariswamy, City Police
Commissioner, had said that 10,000 policemen would be deployed to guard Mr.
Hinn’s mass function. This figure included two companies of the Rapid Action
Force, 40 platoons of the Karnataka State Reserve Police, 1,200 officers from
outside Bangalore city limits, 40 platoons of the City Armed Reserve Police and
the entire Police Force of Bangalore City. There will also be 2,000 officers and
men of the traffic police to manage traffic exclusively for the event".
This is an unrebuttable piece of
evidence to establish official involvement in facilitating and promoting the
conversion process by the predatory religionists. The citizens of Karnataka have
seriously questioned such patronizing yet illegal role of the state Govt. It
highly desirable that BJP High Command stand with people.
Yet another example of this group’s anti-Hindu crusade is shown in a pamphlet
written by a team mate of the Benny Hinn Ministries.
The pamphlet dared to equate idolatry with harlotry, the purpose being to malign
Hindus and their religion – Hinduism.
The high-cost publicity blitz launched by the Benny Hinn Ministries, and the
manner in which it flaunted a guest list that read like a who's who of political
India - N. Dharam Singh, Governor T.N. Chaturvedi, several Chief Ministers from
other States and Union Ministers, including Human Resource Development Minister
Arjun Singh, to mention a few - was picked up by Hindu organizations to conclude
"government patronage" to Christian organizations that
are engaged in covert conversion. .....Three lakh chairs had been arranged for
the audience, and areas prepared for floor seating.
In a statement, CM Dharam Singh said that his government had granted permission
for the event because the "Constitution has guaranteed the right to all faiths
to worship and practice their religion". We strongly disagree with the CM on
this issue. Assistance,
cooperation or freedom to groups with known predatory intentions and for covert
conversions is not the same as protecting freedom of religion.
Furthermore, where did the government’s sense
of defending the freedom of religion disappear when it took control of Hindu
temples and made them as a revenue earning Govt. Dept?
How shameful it is that in Karnataka the Hindu
gods and goddesses have been converted in to work horses of the Govt. Now they
have been reduced to be the revenue earning entities for the Govt. which
simultaneously served a death blow to the believers.
D)
the Govt. must restore
community’s superior role in interim temple management through Hindu Advisory
Councils, in case the formation of an autonomous Board takes time:
Such Councils could play a role in oversight and decision making process of the
endowments department and temple Trusts, where Councils elected or nominated by
the Community and state and national religious leaders could shoulder these
responsibilities. Additionally these Councils could also stop desecration and
decimation of the religious infrastructure under Govt. control, pending
denationalization, and till an autonomous Board(s) is constituted for taking
over the charge.
|
