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Yogi Adityanath’s ‘Hindu Yuva Vahini’ accused of abducting, raping teenage Muslim girls

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Yogi Adityanath

New Delhi: In a shocking revelation, All India Muslim Majlis-e Mushawarat (AIMMM), an umbrella body of Indian Muslim organisations, has said that BJP MP Yogi Adityanath’s Hindu Yuva Vahini is involved in kidnapping, raping and forcing the teenage Muslims girls to live with Hindu men.

 

“A team of the AIMMM found that reports of kidnappings of Muslim girls, sometimes as young as 12 years, are true. Many of such girls have vanished, some are known to be living with their Hindu “husbands” while some have succeeded to run away and return to their families”, the NGO said after visiting the Kushi Nagar district in eastern Uttar Pradesh.

“The delegation found that young girls are kidnapped or lured away from their villages. They are taken to Gorakhpur and other places where they are raped, subjected to shuddhi (purification) and then forced to marry Hindu boys”, it added.

Adityanath’s Hindu Yuva Vahini and allied militias play a pivotal role in this criminal activity which is made more sinister since all girls are under-age.

The AIMMM delegation toured various areas of the district met a number of victims, talked to community leaders.

Fact-finding report on disturbing conditions in Kushinagar district also includes that Kushinagar district police and local administration are preventing the Muslims places to repair work on extend existing mosques or build new mosques on private land throughout the district. The village has 25 Muslim houses and 750 Hindus houses.

The team of delegation also visited some villages where one-sided riots are engineered since 2013 to grab Muslim land or on minor issues with a view to teach Muslims a lesson.

AIMMM has asked the state government to take strict notice on these atrocities against Muslims.

(Agencies)

Adityanath compares Shah Rukh Khan with Hafiz Saeed

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Yogi Adityanath

New Delhi: Controversial Bharatiya Janata Party MP Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday compared Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan with Pakistani terrorist Hafiz Saeed, the mastermind of Mumbai carnage, over his “extreme intolerance” comment.

This is the second attack on the actor by a BJP leader in as many days, sparking condemnation.

Hitting out at the actor two days after he added his voice to the protest by the intelligentsia against the ’climate of intolerance’, Mr. Adityanath also suggested that he go to Pakistan.

Mr. Adityanath, the MP from Gorakhpur, said Shah Rukh Khan should remember that if a “huge mass” of people in the country would boycott his films then he would also have to wander on streets like a “normal Muslim“.

On Tuesday, senior BJP leader Kailash Vijayvargiya triggered a controversy when he painted Shah Rukh as an “anti-nationalist.” In a series of tweets, he said the actor’s “soul” is in Pakistan though he lived in India.

Under fire for the remark, Mr. Vijayvargiya, a BJP general secretary, on Wednesday withdrew his controversial tweets but asserted that had there been intolerance in India, Shah Rukh Khan would not have been the most popular actor after Amitabh Bachchan. He, however, refused to apologise for his remarks.

The attack against Shah Rukh Khan by BJP leaders came notwithstanding the refrain of BJP’s top brass in the recent weeks that partymen avoid sensitive comments.

Claiming that in the name of secularism some artists and authors with radical views have started speaking as “anti-nationals”, Mr. Adityanath said “unfortunately”, Shah Rukh Khan has also matched their voice and lent his support.

According to Mr. Adityanath, this was not for the first time that Shah Rukh was doing this “Shah Rukh Khan should remember that if a huge mass in society would boycot his films, he will also have to wander on streets like a normal Muslim….I am saying these people are speaking in a terrorist’ language. I think there is no difference between the language of Shah Rukh Khan and Hafiz Saeed,” he said.

“We welcome that people go there [Pakistan], at least people who defame India will understand their own originality,” he added.

The Congress reacted to Mr. Adityanath’s statement, saying it was condemnable and would cause tension.

“This is a condemnable statement and nobody can send an individual to Pakistan,” Congress leader Tom Vadakkan said.His party colleague P C Chacko feared such comments would create tension.

“If you have views against the dispensation of this country you go to Pakistan… anybody wants to tweet something he has to go to Pakistan.. Are they trying to promote Pakistan tourism?,” asked Mr. Vadakkan.

Sadhvi Prachi, controversial Hindutva leader, also hit out at Shah Rukh Khan on Tuesday, dubbing him a “Pakistani agent” for his comment on Monday when he turned 50 that there was “extreme intolerance” in the country.

(PTI)

Azam Khan asks Yogi Adityanath to offer namaz for better mental health

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azam khan

Rampur: Reacting on the recent comments by BJP MP Yogi Adityanath on Yoga, UP minister Azam Khan today said that the saffron leader should “offer namaz to set his mind on the right track”.

“Although my advice to Yogi about namaz might not be correct but since he wants to use force to adopt any exercise, I am forced to express my opinion.

“He should rather offer namaz (prayers) that would not only give him physical strength but also put his mind on the right track,” he told media yesterday.

The SP leader was referring to the firebrand leader’s comments that those opposing ‘Surya namaskar’ should “drown in the sea”.

Khan maintained that Surya Namaskar was a religious exercise that should not be forced upon others.

“As far as religious practices and traditions related to a particular community are concerned one should not be compelled to adopt those,” Khan said.

Accusing the Prime Minister Narendra Modi to harbour hatred against minority, the state urban development minister said, “When the BJP maintains enmity against Muslims and asks them to leave India, I urge the Prime Minister, Home Minister and other responsible persons of the government to allot a land where Muslims may be rehabilitated side by side.”

(PTI)

Those opposing 'Surya namaskar' should drown in sea: Yogi Adityanath

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Yogi Adityanath

Varanasi: Firebrand BJP leader Yogi Adityanath has stoked a controversy with his remarks that those opposing ‘surya namaskar’ should “drown in the sea”.

With certain minority groups protesting against inclusion of ‘Surya namaskar’ exercise during the June 21 International Yoga Day celebrations, the Gorakhpur MP said, “Sun is the source of life giving energy. Whoever thinks Sun is communal, I would like to humbly request them to drown themselves in the sea or they should stay in a dark cell.”

“Sun God has never deprived anyone of its light based on caste, creed or religion. Despite that if they are calling sun communal, I feel amused at their mindset,” said the BJP leader yesterday at a religious event in Varanasi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Lok Sabha constituency.

“And my request to them would be that they should not take the sunlight or even its warmth,” said the saffron-clad leader, who is known for courting controversy with his inflammatory remarks.

Adityanath’s remarks came after the All-India Muslim Personal Law Board said that it will move the Supreme Court against inclusion of Surya namaskar and Yoga in schools.

Congress and Samajwadi Party hit out the BJP leader, saying he was trying to create a communal divide, and stressed that nobody can force their own belief system on any citizen.

Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah mocked Adityanath’s remarks saying many people “will have to pack” their bags.

Congress leader Rita Bahuguna said, “Every time he (Adityanath) speaks, he spits venom. He tries to create a communal divide by giving communal statements. What is the reason to say that those who don’t want to do this should leave the country?

“Talking about certain communities that have certain reservations about some parts of yoga, what is the use? It is an exercise for physical and mental well-being. Those who don’t want to do it should be allowed not to do it.”

SP’s Gaurav Bhatia recalled that the Prime Minister had recently told his partymen that such statements will not be tolerated.

“And again we hear the habitual offender Yogi Adityanath making such a statement. In our country everyone has the right to profess his religion, to have his own belief system and no body can force his own belief system on any citizen,” he said.

Reacting to Adityanath’s remarks, Omar said on Twitter, “The solution to overcrowding in India since so many of us will have to pack our bags. Ek teer do shikar (killing two birds with one stone).”

(PTI)

One year of Modi sarkar: Hate speech galore

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modi-hate

The coming to power of Narendra Modi in a way gave an open license to all the affiliates of RSS combine to indulge in open hate speech against the religious minorities. The current agenda behind the hate speech is to consolidate the communal polarisation of the society along lines of religion. The well-known case of MIM’s Akarbar-uddudin Owaisis’ hate speech has been despicable and very rightly Akbarudin Owaisi had to be in jail for some time. The case against him should be pursued and the legal course of action must be followed. At the same time, what about the hate speeches indulged in by the likes of Pravin Togadia, Subramaniam Swami, Giriraj Singh, Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti, Sadhvi Prachi, Sakshi Mahraraj, Yogi Adityanth, Sanjay Raut and company?

Apart from these associates of Hindu right wing patriarch RSS, who are reported in the media, there are many more indulging in the divisive speech and worsening the communal situation. During this year, they have started feeling emboldened as they know it is ‘their’ Government and they can get away with it. Day in and day out they are becoming more aggressive and vicious in their language. The hate speech against religious minorities has been stepped up.

One recalls even before Modi Sarkar assumed the seat of power, the divisive activities of ‘BJP associates’ in the form of propaganda of love jihad and Ghar Vapasi were on, and they continued without any respite during this year. Soon after this Government came to power, Mohsin Sheikh, a person working in IT was hacked to death by activists of Hindu Jagran Sena in Pune, in the aftermath of morphed pictures of Bal Thackeray and Shivaji being posted on the social media.

The attack on Churches was very glaring and the process which was dominant in Delhi and Haryana was also witnessed in places like Panvel near Mumbai, Agra in UP amongst other places.

Sakshi Maharaj not only said that Godse was a patriot; he also went on to say that Hindu women should produce four children, as Muslims are overtaking the population. Sadhvi Prachi went to prescribe eight children for Hindu women. She also gave a call that Muslim film actors, Aamir Khan, Shahrukh Khan and Salman Khan should be boycotted. Pravin Togadia has been the leading person in making hate speeches; he has the highest number of cases regarding hate speech against him. Yogi Adityanath, BJP’s MP keeps making very derogatory remarks, said that in ‘love jihad’ if one Hindu girl is converted, then 100 Muslim girls should be converted to Hinduism. The propaganda around love jihad keeps simmering and various small and big leaders keep using it to divide the society. Same Yogi went on to say that Mosques should be converted into den of pigs and that Muslims should not be allowed to come to Hindu holy places.

Two central ministers of Modi Sarkar, Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti and Giriaj Singh made very insulting and humiliating remarks about non-Hindus and the colour of the skin of Congress chief Sonia Gandhi. Niranjan Jyoti stated that all those who are non-Hindus are illegitimate, Haramzade. Giriraj Singh had earlier said that those not voting for Modi should go to Pakistan. Interestingly he said this before the elections and despite such a record, he was elevated to the level of minister in the Modi sarkar. He made racial comments about Sonia Gandhi recently. Sakshi Mahraj also held Godse as a patriot, while his another party colleague from Kerala, one Gopal Krishnan, wrote in RSS mouth piece Keasri that Godse chose a wrong target in killing Gandhi, he should have killed Nehru instead.

Subramaniam Swamy, one of the very senior leaders of BJP, said that God lives in temples alone, not in mosques and Churches. The hidden implication of this statement is fraught with danger. These are few of the samples from what all has been stated during this year. Its impact in increasing the sense of fear amongst religious minorities is more than obvious. BJP ally Shiv Sena’s MP Sanjay Raut went to the extent of demanding that the voting rights of Muslims should be revoked.

As such one realizes that ‘Hate speech’ is the outcome of the politics of divisiveness, it is the concentrated expression of the ‘social common sense’ prevailing in the society, it is the forthright and blunt way of putting things, which communal parties propagate anyway. It is not out of the blue that these formulations suddenly crop up, their infrastructure, the base of these has already been made by a section of political outfits.

Also ‘Hate Speech’ in case of India is an accompaniment of the politics in the name of religion and language, and also many times it precedes the violence or helps in polarization of communities for electoral benefits. While BJP was on the upswing during Ram Temple campaign; one recalls that Sadhvi Ritambhara was propped up for pravachans (religious discourses) by RSS combine. She was bluntly talking anti-minority things, duly endorsed by communal political organizations. This took place around the Babri demolition period.

One has been hearing similar things from many a sadhus of VHP, small and sundry members of communal gang, some Muslim communalists and the ilk of Togadia. There has been a more sophisticated presentation of the similar formulations by many others. Modi, in his initial rise to power, talked divisive language, but kept changing the form in a very subtle way to suit the needs of his political strategy. When he said that post-Gujarat refugee camps should be shut down as they have become factories of production of children, he was reinforcing the propaganda about Muslims having more number of children.

In the wake of Mumbai riots, Bal Thackeray had indulged in Hate speech, inciting his Shiv Sainiks to undertake violence. He also got away with it due to clever way of putting his vitriol and due to the lack of adequate laws which can distinguish the Hate speech from freedom of expression, which can distinguish between one’s political opinion and painting the ‘other’ community in a negative light.

Incidentally, it is important to distinguish between criticizing a community and criticizing a political organization. While political organizations can and must be criticized, communities should not be humiliated or insulted. Also no political organization can be synonymous with the religious community, whatever its claims.

It is not only disturbing but totally against the values of our democratic society that such ‘hate other’ ideology and speeches have become the weapon in the hands of a type of politics, which thrives on exclusion, which identifies a particular religious community as synonymous with the nation state. Again this ‘hate speech’ is the language of a section of those who thrive on identity politics far away from the real issues of the society.

As such Hate speech in India entered the political arena with the rise of communal streams in politics, like Muslim League on one side and Hindu Mahasabha and RSS on the other. These streams believed in the nation based on one religious community. These streams came from the sections of earlier rulers, landlords, Nawabas and Rajas etc. The ideology of religion based nationalism is narrow and it excludes ‘other’ from its notion of nationhood. These beliefs then get converted into Hate other, and later turn in to ‘Hate speech’. This did form the basis of many a communal violence in pre-Independence era and also during the last two decades.

Varun Gandhi, allegedly said ‘he will cut the hands’, is a BJP MP. In this atmosphere once in a while, the BJP spokespersons will say that the view expressed by the particular leader are ‘personal’ and stop at that. For BJP another escape clause is that its associated organizations like VHP, Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram and Bajrang Dal are formally different organizations though they are also part of RSS controlled Sangh Parivar. They all are working in tandem with BJP for actualization of agenda of Hindu Rashtra. So while BJP is not directly responsible for their actions, the direction of the actions is the same. Many a people call these organizations as fringe elements, while as a matter of fact, there is a division of labour between these organizations. These have become more aggressive during current time. And surely, after the Modi Sarkar coming to power their vitriol has become more intense.

Colonising India’s Muslims: Love, Jihad and Political Lust

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22-year-old Meerut women who alleged forced conversion and rape by Muslim men, has retracted her statements. (File Photo)

22-year-old Meerut women who alleged forced conversion and rape by Muslim men, has retracted her statements. (File Photo)

– by Farzana Versey, CounterPunch


Chanting hymns and spraying holy Ganga water, a group of religious leaders and students from the rightwing conducted the purification ritual of a 26-year-old woman inside a police station in Dehradun, Uttar Pradesh. Her crime was that she married a Muslim and was allegedly forced to convert to Islam. Her saviours felt that bringing her back home and into the fold was not enough; she needed to be cleansed of any traces of Muslimness to be acceptable again.

This took place inside a police station with the cops around. It should tell us how political perceptions are brainwashing social attitudes in India.

We may laud the “U-turn” of an alleged victim denying she was a victim, but will such extempore anger have any effect? In Meerut a 22-year-old managed to get nine people arrested on the basis of a false charge of kidnapping, gangrape, and conversion. For many, the conversion seemed to be the real crime that made the state BJP ring alarm bells about Muslim men going around with a seduction to conversion blueprint.

After two months, it turns out that she was forced to make these serious allegations. In her statement to the police she wrote: “I was staying with my parents, but I ran away from home because I feel a threat to my life from my parents and relatives. I went with the boy belonging to a different community out of my own will.” Her parents were against her affair with Kaleem. Some members of Hindutva groups got wind of it and offered to help. Help for them meant milking it for political gain. ‘Love jihad’ had found one more victim, according to them, and Hinduism was therefore under threat from Islam.

The story of an almost love lost that has grabbed public imagination pays no attention to the “eight others” who are behind bars. The cleric Mohammad Sanaullah was said to be the main accused in the gangrape and conversion. Why is his innocence not highlighted? By concentrating only on the love angle, the ‘jihad’ against Muslims is allowed to continue to regain what is thought to be a lost colonial supremacy.

Forced conversions can be tried in court, but that would need evidence, which is not available simply because this does not take place, except for stray instances. Another reason to keep the paranoia alive is to feed the fear.

He talks about converting people to Hinduism and then says, “If they take one Hindu girl away, there will be at least 100 that we will…” and he pauses, as the crowd cheers and completes his sentence to gloat, “take away”. He does not stop there and goes on to say, “If they kill one Hindu, there will be 100 that we” and pauses, as the gathered crowd shouts: “will kill”.

This is not mere rustic appeal. As a member of parliament from Gorakhpur Yogi Adityanath has used the floor of the house to declare that Hindus would need to organise themselves. “They (the pseudo-secular forces) split the country on communal lines in 1947 and there is a conspiracy to split the country again on Pakistan’s agenda. There is a conspiracy against the Hindu way of life and the people are uniting against this. Hindutva is a symbol of Indian nationalism. The Hindu religion does not allow the superiority of any one religion. Even Muslims who go for Haj are known as Hindus.”

Our US-return PM Narendra Modi has been silent; the BJP cadre has been silent. Adityanath continues to be MP.  He even appeared on a TV show where he transformed the mock witness box into a speaker’s corner. The real story of bigotry is not what he said but how the young studio audience rooted for him. This was not an anonymous forum. They would be recognised and seemed to take pride in that, unconcerned about how their peers would view them. Prejudice has become the new identity.

Fringe outfits are on national television speaking in a quasi-government tone. Its members distribute pamphlets against Muslims and nobody is arrested for it. Even if it is a political move prior to polls it reveals how society thinks or how they expect society to start thinking.

The love jihad incident is deviously linked with madrassas, which will be the big target eventually. Sakshi Maharaj, another one of those godmen-ministers that are part of the righting government, said, “Education of terrorism is being given in madrassas. They (the madrassas)… are making them terrorists and jihadis…It is not in national interest.”

If madrassas are teaching terrorism, it makes no logical or tactical sense for them to be counteracted with ancient Hindu texts. India is a nuclear power, has a space mission, an information technology hub. None of this has been possible because of the Vedas or any religious text. Yet, the human resources development minister spoke to officials about the introduction of Hindu texts and epics in the curriculum and the contribution of ancients to topics like science and philosophy.

In isolation, the latter does not seem like an idea to dismiss. It could be a lesson in history. However, the intent is not as innocent. It would be inflicting the history of Hinduism, the contribution of Hindus in a pluralistic and secular nation. RSS ideologue Dinanath Batra, whose books Modi has called “inspirational literature” in the foreword and are filled with gems about redrawing the map of India as “Akhand Bharat” (united India of the ancients), is promoting Hindu Rashtra. His works were made compulsory reading in 42,000 schools across Gujarat in June this year.

Union water resources minister Uma Bharti’s theory about the floods in Kedarnath last year while agreeing that cloudburst was the immediate cause went back to past glory to state that “the underlying reason was human excretion” that too due to the “atheists (who) came here, mainly for business purposes”.

Even if we were to make provision for comical asides, the geek generation enthralled by such history does not realise that the parchment is frayed. The men in saffron want them to feed cows, recite mantras and stop celebrating birthdays with cake, and wear swadeshi (indigenous) clothes. The distorted history that is sought to be corrected will wipe out incidents of rightwing terror, including the two major riots of 1992 and 2002 where Muslims were targeted.

Nazim was issued summons because he was considered a threat to peace and might indulge in booth-capturing and intimidating voters. He was asked to provide a bond if he did not wish to be arrested. Nazim could not read a word of the statement. He was, in fact, oblivious to all that was happening around him. Nazim is only a year old.

Not taking any chances for the by-polls held last month, the sub-divisional magistrate in Usmanpur village of UP made no distinction between Yaseen and his son Nazim. Both were dangerous. This bizarre tale is an extreme form of the increasingly fanatical attitude towards minorities in India. They are now even putting toddlers under suspicion by branding them.

Women and child development minister Maneka Gandhi said, “Money through trade of slaughtered animals goes into terrorism, therefore goes into killing us, why are we allowing this?” She added, “A slaughterer could be a Muslim but the transporter and the owners of the cows are often Hindus and non-Muslims. So it is not about religion but about trade and greed for money.” Would she have the courage to mention Hindu terrorism?

The Indian prime minister resorted to a backhanded insult to 170 million people when he said in the CNN interview: “My understanding is that they (al Qaeda) are doing injustice towards the Muslims of our country. If anyone thinks Indian Muslims will dance to their tune, they are delusional…Indian Muslims will live for India, they will die for India — they will not want anything bad for India.”

Not only was this slur swallowed, it was also applauded for inclusiveness. That the delusion of the al Qaeda prompted a note on patriotism and Indian Muslim fealty was made conditional on living and dying for the country did not seem to register or bother many. The message is clear. The loyalty of Indian Muslims needs to be flagged off by the head of government. Hindus do not need to prove they are citizens; their rights as worthy members of the Republic are assured.

Running through all this is an element of racial superiority. Subramanian Swamy of Ivy League education is an enthusiastic proponent of the Rashtra molecular heritage: “All Indians have Hindu ancestry and I will get Union Minister Najma Heptullah’s DNA tested in order to prove the theory.” Ms. Heptullah is the Minority Affairs minister and a senior leader who happens to be Muslim.

RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat stated, “The cultural identity of all Indians is Hindutva and the present inhabitants of the country are descendants of this great culture.” Had there been acceptance there would not be inequity and rejection. The greatness of such culture relies on artificial selection.

The development module too tries to mimic social evolution. It audaciously opposes the rare inter-community marriages by containing the coloniser within a ‘barbaric’ madrassa, and will not address the educated idea of pro-choice alliances. These are not the norm, so why would a political party with a huge mandate allow its members and its satellite groups to perpetrate such paranoia? The reason seems to be to use the women as territory analogy. A potent symbol was the jauhar, where women jumped into a well or the fire to protect themselves from Muslim armies in the 14th century. Young Muslim men are seen as the inheritors of such armies in the contemporary context.

These images are regurgitated by sidestepping the truth and projecting lies. In a 2007 CounterPunch article I had shown how there were attempts to pass off the murder of Muslim Rizwan for marrying Hindu Priyanka as a class divide.

Bhagwat has said recently, “For the next 5 years we have to work with the aim of bringing equality among all the Hindus in the country. All Hindus should be drinking water at one place, should be praying at one place and after their death, their bodies should be burnt at the same place.”

This is a feeble attempt to accept the backward castes that have suffered due to Brahminical entitlement. That it needs to be reiterated exposes the inherent problem with social mores as reveled in by the rightwing Sangh parivar. The ‘cultural’ organisation has done little to ensure that these castes are not discriminated against. The new sound bites will not bring about change, for they are used to merely titillate. Dalits have not been named specifically, leaving the options open to abuse.

Hindutva can get away with marketing itself as an all-purpose karma and culture, the blandishment camouflaging despotism.

Farzana Versey can be reached at Cross Connections.

Meerut woman denies rape, forceful conversion, says she eloped

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meerut-woman-conversion

Meerut: The young woman from Meerut, who in August claimed she was abducted, gang-raped and forcefully converted to Islam, has retracted her earlier statement, telling police that she had in fact eloped with the accused.

The 22-year-old Hindu woman approached the police complaining of a threat from her family, and in a written statement, denied rape or conversion. She told police that she had gone with the Muslim man out of her own will.

In August, after the woman’s complaint, the accused along with seven others were arrested. The BJP workers in the state, including Yogi Adityanath, the BJP’s bypoll campaign in-charge in the State, had branded the incident as “love jihad”.

Right-wing Hindu groups launched an elaborate campaign in the State against “love jihad” in which they claimed Muslim men lured Hindu girls, tricked them into marriage and forced them to accept Islam.

Police said the woman left her home on Sunday due to the alleged threats and reached a women’s police station.

She was presented before a magistrate and is currently staying in Meerut Nari Niketan, Meerut Rural SP was quoted as telling The Hindu.

The accused Muslim man, Kaleem, and eight others were arrested after the woman had alleged on August 3 that she had been abducted, gang-raped and forcibly converted to Islam.

Tools for divisive politics: Love Jihad propaganda spurs hate, not dialogue

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Yogi Adityanath

After the last general elections where Narendra Modi and his party won a majority overwhelmingly, the BJP has not been doing so well in subsequent by-elections. The Lalu-Nitish experiment is one model, but whether it will be replicated in different parts of the country is a million-vote question. The BJP appears to resort to the basic tools of divisive politics. On one hand Yogi Adityanath, with his venomous ‘hate speeches’ has come up as BJP’s major player; on the other the word of mouth propaganda of ‘love jihad’ is being spread like wildfire.

This year, Adityanath began his hate attack on Muslim minorities blaming all communal riots on Muslims when he campaigned for the BJP ahead of the general elections. In subsequent speeches he went on to make similar baseless allegations such as wherever Muslims are in the majority there is more trouble, or that when they trigger the violence then they also have to face the consequences.

None of this is grounded in the analysis of the communal violence in India. Referring to ‘Love Jihad,’ Adityanath said that if ‘they’ convert one Hindu girl, we will convert 100 Muslim girls. His unrelenting ‘hate speeches’ are going on at the time when the Prime Minister himself has asked for a ten-year moratorium on violence. Mr. Modi seems to be deliberately looking the other way when all this Hate propaganda is on.

The ‘Love Jihad’ propaganda is a double-edged weapon: By stating that Muslim youth are being trained to lure Hindu girls, on one hand they demonize Muslims and on the other they tighten their control of the lives of girls and women. In this propaganda, Hindu women are projected as gullible, easy to be lured and incapable of deciding for themselves. In a way the communal agenda’s twin goals are achieved here. Communal politics wants to marginalize the religious minorities at the surface level and at the deeper societal level it aims to restrict the rights and freedom of women.

BJP affiliates are not only indulging in word-of-mouth propaganda on this issue. They have also started forming fronts to oppose ‘love jihad,’ some of them have come up in western UP, and more seem to be in the offing. VHP has come to the forefront on this issue by stating that “Patriots will support our crusade against ‘love jihad’ that is leading the country towards another partition.” One more Sangh Parivar-related organization, the Dharma Jagran Manch, has started a similar campaign which is appealing to Hindus to oppose the ‘threat’ of ‘love jihad.’

As far as Hindu girls being converted to Islam through Love Jihad is concerned, it is a hoax- there is no doubt about that. A friend wrote from UP that he was to talk in a girls college there. He met a young faculty member all charged up to save Hindu girls, claiming that over 6,000 girls have been converted in his area. When confronted to give the names of some of the alleged converts, he retracted, saying he has heard rumours of it and so it must be true.

A booklet priced Rs 15 about the Love Jihad conspiracy has been published by some Hindu zealots: ‘How to Save Our Women from the Terrorism of Love Jihad’. It contains some alleged case studies. Most of these stories feature a typical pattern: a young Hindu woman lured into a relationship or into marriage by a Muslim man who had allegedly posed as a Hindu. It is claimed that those who get married often convert to Islam and need to be ‘rescued’ and this is where the RSS affiliates want to pitch in according to their plans.

While lot of historical material has come out on the issue of Love Jihad, two items in particular need to be mentioned. Many analysts have compared the Modi politics with the politics indulged in by Hitler, who used a similar tactic to polarize German opinion against the Jews, who were called the ‘internal enemy’. The Nazi propaganda held that Jewish young men had been luring German girls and polluting the purity of Aryan blood with a view to subjugating the German nation.

Similar tactics were adopted by Arya Samaj and Hindu Mahasabha in India in the 1920s, when organizations to save the honor of Hindu women were formed and pamphlets like ‘Hindu Auratonki Loot’ (Loot of Hindu Women) were brought out. This propaganda was a potent weapon to polarize the communities along religious lines.

Can this be combated in some way? There is news that some Muslim youth have planned peace marches in the areas to create an atmosphere of amity. I hope more such marches take place and can restore the sanity of our society and surely members from the majority religious community will join these marches spontaneously to boost the amity amongst communities.

Maun Mohan, now Maun Modi? Kejriwal’s appeal letter to Narendra Modi

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An appeal to the PM to speak up against communalism and corruption in his party.

Kejriwal-Modi

– by Arvind Kejriwal

Dear Prime Minister,

Your government has completed nearly four months in office now and its performance is being widely discussed. People have mixed feelings.

They believe that you are an excellent orator. But your own partymen and ministers are doing exactly the opposite of what you speak, and when they do that, you remain silent. This has perplexed many people.

For instance, your speech on Independence Day impressed many. You said that we should shun communalism for the next decade, since communalism does not help anyone. People were happy to hear these words. But just a few days later an MP of your own party, Yogi Adityanath, delivered hate speeches.

Your partymen tried to spread hatred in the name of ‘love jihad’. People were surprised. How was it that your own partymen were not listening to you? People expected that you would admonish Yogi Adityanath and others in your party who indulged in spreading communal hatred. But you chose to remain silent, which disappointed Indians.

You spoke against UPA’s corruption during Lok Sabha elections. It was one of your main campaign planks. You had promised a corruption-free India. Recently, you went to the extent of saying — “Na khaunga, na khaane dunga.” (neither will i take bribe, nor will i allow anyone to take bribe). People were happy to hear that.

There was a feeling that from now on, the corrupt would be punished and honest people would be rewarded. But when your health minister Harsh Vardhan removed a very honest officer, Sanjiv Chaturvedi, from the post of chief vigilance officer at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi, for no reason, it was a major disappointment.

The entire country knows how Chaturvedi has been fighting against corruption. His work has been appreciated by none less than the president of India and a parliamentary standing committee. People expected your government to reward such people.

Both media and public have severely criticised Chaturvedi’s removal. Everyone expected that you would intervene and get Chaturvedi reinstated as CVO of AIIMS. But when you remained silent on this issue also, people were further disappointed.

A few days back, the Union home ministry issued a notification severely curtailing the powers of Delhi’s anti-corruption branch (ACB), stripping it of the power to probe central government employees for bribery. This has turned it into a completely ineffective body. How can you remove corruption by curtailing the powers of ACB? To remove corruption, you need to provide ACB with adequate resources, effective powers and honest manpower.

People had hoped that since you have always been speaking so strongly against corruption, you would certainly reprimand your home minister and ask him to withdraw this notification. But you remained silent on such a critical matter also.

There were strong rumours that the son of one of your ministers accepted bribes for transfers and postings. When you came to know about it, you apparently called the father and son and scolded them. People felt so good when they heard this, though your office issued a statement on August 27 calling such reports as malicious and denied any such incident. My humble request is that next time, if any minister’s son accepts a bribe, kindly hand him over to the police in addition to scolding him.

A vice-president of Delhi BJP was caught on camera offering Rs 4 crore to an Aam Aadmi Party MLA to defect. BJP’s Delhi unit has been trying its best to form a government dishonestly. People are desperately hoping that you will stop your Delhi unit from doing this. But you have again preferred to remain silent.

The Supreme Court recently observed that those leaders facing serious criminal charges should not be made ministers. But at least 13 of your ministers face such charges, including murder and bribery. People hoped that you will immediately remove them, yet again you remained silent.

You had repeatedly accused PM Manmohan Singh of inaction when our soldiers on the Pakistan border were being beheaded and when the Chinese were violating our borders. People liked your speeches which matched with their patriotic feelings whenever you raised this issue.

But Pakistan and China are violating Indian borders with greater frequency since you took over. China’s attitude is even stranger. At a time when you are according such a warm welcome to their visiting president, they entered deep into our territory. So, people are wondering whether there are any compulsions that first Manmohan Singh and now you can’t take those effective steps which you had been demanding all along?

During elections you had promised ‘achche din’. The country has been waiting since 65 years for ‘achche din’. However, it is becoming extremely difficult for the middle class and poor people, who voted for you, to make two ends meet due to sharp price rise. You have all the power now. You have full majority in Parliament. People can live without ‘achche din’ for some more time. But we sincerely urge you to do something to contain prices and provide relief to people from inflation.

Mr Prime Minister, you have been given a historic chance. There are huge expectations from you. However, bypoll results show that people are slowly losing hope. We hope you will not let this historic opportunity slip.

The writer is former Delhi chief minister and Aam Aadmi Party convener.

BJP distances itself from 'love jihad' after bypoll setback

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New Delhi (IANS): Following electoral reverses in Uttar Pradesh, where it lost eight of 11 seats in the assembly bypolls, the Bharatiya Janata party Wednesday distanced itself from the “love jihad” campaign.

“As far as ‘love jihad’ is concerned, it may have been raised by a few local leaders but the BJP as a party has never endorsed it,” said BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra when IANS asked him whether the bypolls result indicated that people were disillusioned at the party deviating from its development plank for a campaign led by its MP Yogi Adityanath.

He said that “love jihad” was not a part of the Uttar Pradesh BJP’s resolution adopted in Vrindavan last month.

“The accusation by our opponents that we try to polarise votes as an election strategy was laid to rest in the Lok Sabha elections, when people emphatically rejected the claim that BJP is not a secular party and hence should not be voted to power,” Patra added.

The Congress, however, said the results indicated a “dramatic reversal” of people’s view on the BJP’s Hindutva ideology.

“It is a defeat of Yogi Adityanath’s brand of communal politics. ‘Love jihad’ is an insidious, orchestrated strategy to divide communities with the backing of the RSS. But the defeat of eight sitting BJP MLAs in Uttar Pradesh signals a dramatic reversal of people’s view on the Hindutva agenda persued by it,” Congress spokesperson Sanjay Jha told IANS.

In Uttar Pradesh, the BJP lost eight of the 11 seats which it had won with its ally Apna Dal in the 2012 assembly polls. Tuesday’s result was in stark contrast to the BJP’s victory in 71 of the 80 Lok Sabha constituencies in the general elections in May.

The Congress said the BJP’s repeated defeats in bypolls was a clear indication that “Modi wave” is over in only 100 days of the party’s government.

“It marks the end of the manufactured Modi wave. The susceptible downslide of the BJP is evident not just in yesterday’s (Sep 16) results but from the earlier results in Uttarakhand, Karnataka, Bihar, and Madhya Pradesh,” Jha asserted.

This is the third time the BJP has suffered reverses in bypolls since Narendra Modi came to power riding on the back of a massive mandate in the April-May Lok Sabha polls.

In the first round of the bypolls held in Uttarakhand after the general elections, the Congress had won all the three assembly seats, while in the second round of bypolls, the BJP had lost six of the 10 assembly seats in Bihar.

Gujarat, where Modi was the chief minister for about 13 years, too offered a jolt for the saffron party Tuesday, with Congress wresting three seats from the BJP.

Congress leader from the state Shaktisinh Gohil attributed it to Modi’s neglect of the farmers under a facade of “vibrant” Gujarat.

“Farmers are a neglected community in Gujarat. Their issues have always been neglected under a facade of vibrant Gujarat,” Gohil told IANS, adding that Modi’s 100 days in government showed he was not able to realise the dreams he sold to people.

Patra refuted the claim.

“Bypolls are fought on local issues and may not be seen as people’s reflection on the national discourse in politics,” he contended.

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