Author:
Publication: Hindu Voice
Date: September 2002
Dr. Pravinbhai Thogadia, the International
Vice President of Vishwa Hindu Parishad, addressed a meeting in Mumbai
on 28th July 2002 at Raja Shivaji Vidyalaya, Hindu Colony, Dadar, Mumbai.
Shri Mohan Salekar, Shri Rameshbhai Mehta, Shri Hari Atmaram Samdani, Shri
Anand Shankar Pandya, Shri Ashok Chowgule and Shri Arun Handa were present
at the dais.
Addressing the enthusiastic crowd,
Dr. Thogadia described the glorious past of the Indian (Hindu) history
and civilization. All through their glorious past, Hindus have never invaded
any country no have they killed any living being. A Hindu sees God in every
living being and therefore he can never think of harming a human being,
leave along killing him. It is the other religions which preach hatred
towards others. Christian and Islamic scriptures preach that those who
follow other religions are not fit to live and therefore could be killed.
Following this principle, Christians and Muslims have invaded other countries
and have killed thousands of human being, not only of other religions but
theirs too, he said.
Ridiculing those who teach Human
Rights to Hindus, Dr. Thogadia said, Hindus who have given rights to animals,
cattles, rivers, mountains, forests, rivers, etc. need not be tought about
giving rights to Human beings. It is in-born in Hindus. Describing the
position of women as "Mother" in our culture, he described the torture
being meted out to women in most of the countries in the name of religion.
Hindus are so big-hearted that they allow different ways of worship, eating
habits, thinking, dressing, etc.
Coming down heavily on those who
preach tolerance to Hindus, Dr. Thogadia questioned their moral authority.
We learn tolerance from Vedas and Upanishads. But instead of teaching Vedas
and Upanishads in schools, you have started teaching 'Marxism to students.
Therefore instead of tolerance, the youngsters have learnt intolerance.
This is the major cause for the recent Gujarat violence. Therefore, if
you want Hindus to be tolerant, inspite of incidents like Godhra, you must
immediately arrange for studying Vedas and Upanishads in schools and colleges,
he thundered.
He accused the pseudo-secularists
and the pseudo-journalists of justifying the Godhra carnage. Criticising
those who promoted the provocation theory for the Godhra carnage, he reasoned'
If quarreling with a tea vendor at the Godhra station is an enough provocation
for burning down 58 passengers, this burning incident itself is more than
a sufficient provocation for killing thousands of Muslims in, Gujarat.
He advised the anti-Hindu English press to stop rolling out different theories
to justify the Godhra carnage.
He equated the Gujarat reaction
with that of the successful Bharat Bandh held on 4th August 2000, mentioning
that whenever Hindus feel that their "Dharm" is being attacked, they become
wild and will go to any extent to save it.
He criticised those who blame the
Vishwa Hindu Parishad and the Ram Janmabhoomi movement for this communal
situation. VHP was started in 1964 and the Ram Janmabhoomi movement is
a recent phenomenon.
When this is the case, why were
there communal riots earlier, he questioned. He referred to the Bihar communal
clashes in 1947, when more than 5,000 Muslims were butchered by Hindus,
in reaction to the killing of Hindus by Muslims. At that time there was
no VHP or any movement.
In fact, Mahatma Gandhi at that
time admitted that it was Hindu Congress men who were involved in the Bihar
violence, he reminded the audience. He also gave details of the violent
clashes that are taking place all over the world where Muslims alone are
involved.
Criticising Smt. Sonia Gandhi for
her crocodile tears on Gujarat incident, he questioned what the Congress
workers who are in every village were doing, for stopping the Gujarat violence.
With such a large following in Gujarat, they could have done something
to save the innocent lives. Requesting her to inquire into this inactiveness
of Congress workers in Gujarat, he informed her that all Congress workers,
as Hindus, were also involved in Gujarat violence. In fact, Hindus of Gujarat
had broken all barriers, of caste, creed and politics, to rise as one,
he said, to the thunderous applause of the audience. He estimated that
about 50 lakh Hindus in Gujarat had come out on the street as a violent
reaction to the Godhra carnage.
He was making fun of the free publicity
the English press gives to Bajrang Dal and VHP. When an English paper published
a disparaging report that thousands of Bajrang Dal workers are being provided
with swords, he started receiving orders from different parts of Bharat
for thousands of swords, to be distributed to the Bajrang Dal workers in
that area.
For the communal clashes that are
taking place not only in India but all over the world he entirely blamed
the Jihadi mentality of the Muslims. Madrassas that are being run all over
the World, especially Pakistan, are the breeding ground for this Jihadi
mentality. Muslim children who started going to Madrassa in Godhra and
other places in 1980, came out in 2000 as adults with burning Jihadi mentality,
which led to the Gujarat carnage. Unless this Jihadi mentality is crushed,
there would be no peace in India, he inferred. He said as long as there
is Pakistan, India cannot live in peace. He envisaged the dismembering
of Pakistan.
He regretted that Hindus gave a
part of India to Muslims, in a platter, (now Pakistan), but when small
plot of land is asked for, for the construction of Ram Mandir at Ayodhya,
Muslims did not have the courtesy to accede to the request. He asserted
that the birth place of Sri Ram is unchangeable and non-negotiable, and
Ram Mandir will be built at the birth place alone.
He demanded early election in Gujarat,
which is going to be the turning point in Indian politics. He said all
the politicians in Gujarat are irrelevant. Only those who talk of Hindutva
are relevant, he declared. He therefore warned BJP to return to the. Hindutva
path, or we will develop our own political leader, he further warned.
He criticised the pseudo-secularists
for their double, no wrong, standards, i.e. Sanskrit is communal, Urdu
is secular; Mandir is communal, Masjid is secular; Sadhu is communal Imam
is secular. Dr. Murali Manohar Joshi is communal, Abdulla Bhukari is secular;
and asked them to change their lunatic mentality.
He had an advice to the law enforcing
authorities too. If at all they want lasting peace and communal harmony,
the root cause for such problem should be identified and quashed. The root
cause for the communal problem is the Jihadi mentality of Muslims. The
real problem is with their thinking. Therefore, the law enforcing authorities
will do well to crush this Jihadi mentality, in the interest of communal
peace and harmony.
The audience listened to Dr Thogadia
with rapt attention. Contrary to the expectation of the organisers, the
Hall was over-flowing with audience, many of whom had to contend with squatting
on the floor.
