Congratulating Na-rendra Modi for becoming the country’s Prime Minister, the Gujarat unit of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), in the latest issue of its magazine, has credited the BJP’s victory to a “Hindu undercurrent” that was bigger than the one witnessed during Ram Janmabhoomi movement.
In the June 2014 issue of the VHP mouthpiece Vishwa Hindu Samachar, the editorial piece carries a detailed analysis of the 2014 Lok Sabha election, which attributes Modi’s victory to “a conducive atmosphere created for Hindutva” that ran parallel to the BJP’s much-touted “good governance and development”.
The article narrates how the colour of election was saffronised right from the RSS chief’s appeal for 100% voting and the distribution of pamphlets resulting into a massive turnout of voters that broke all the previous records. “This fact has to be accepted that the BJP started itscampaign with the agenda of good governance and development, but indirectly it created a Hindutva atmosphere. Known in the country for Sohrabuddin encounter, Amit Shah was announced as the BJP’s head in Uttar Pradesh’s election. Shah immediately went to Ayodhya for a darshan (homage) and revealed what was concealed in the heart of the BJP,” the writer Kaushik Mehta, Gujarat VHP chief, states in the editorial.
The magazine claims that this election saw the Hindu undercurrent much bigger than the movement during Ram Janmabhoomi Andolan. “This time the Hindu undercurrent was much bigger than the Hindu undercurrent prevailed during Ram Janmabhoomi Andolan. Hindus voted in large numbers beyond their caste and creed,” the editorial, in Gujarati, says.
It also cites several instances that occurred during the Lok Sabhaelections that, according to the VHP, contributed to creating and spreading Hindutva. It says, “The model of Ram Mandir in the hoarding put up at Modi’s rally in Faizabad, Amit Shah’s statement of “Apmanno badlo levano avsar aavyo che (Time has come to take revenge),”not giving a ticket to Muslim candidate despite the demand of Rashtravadi Muslim Manch in-charge Indreshji and Shah’s comment that Azamgadh was the hub of terrorists, ‘Hinduised’ the atmosphere,” the article states.
According to the magazine, Modi showed that the path to power in Delhidoesn’t go via Raebareli or Amethi, but passes through “the spiritual capital of Hindus” — Kashi — and that’s why he was made a candidate from Varanasi after Vadodara. It refers to several other highlights of elections that reportedly raised Hindutva factor, including Modi’s statement, “Lakhi rakho… Bangladeshiyo ne kadhi mukish (note it down…will send Bangladeshi nationals back),” the statement of Bihar BJP leader Giriraj Singh who had said, “Those who will not vote for Modi will be sent to Pakistan” and the statement of Muslim leader Imran Masood, who threatened Modi “to cut into pieces”.
“Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, Jamiat ulema-e-Hind, Muslim Personal Law Board, Milli Council, Jamiat Ahle Hadish… and similar Muslim organisations appealed to the Muslims to unite against Modi. But the result was opposite. It polarised Hindus. Congress’s appeal to Imam Bukhari also united Hindus,” it states.
The article states that though the new government has been formed
in the country, the “seculars” are still blabbering. It says that the new government has ended the ten years of misgovernance. “Therefore, there are expectations from the government to bring back the black money, form a corruption-free administration, build Ram Mandir and repeal Article 370, among others,” it said.