Today witnessed by 4000 invitees and all the South Asia Heads of States, Shri Narendra Modi’s inauguration at the Rashtrapati Bhawan by the President Shri Parnab Mukherjee marks the beginning of a new era in Indian politics that may re-define the Hindu Nationalism to be the true all inclusive secularism which Mahatma Gandhi had envisioned.
It was under Indira Gandhi that the Mahatma’s all-inclusive secularist vision got thwarted as she took the easy route of selective appeasement policies in return for building ‘vote-banks’, to ultimately keep her dynasty in continual power. This was the root corruption against which the electorate has seemingly delivered a verdict for a fresh approach, a new way.
Yet this new way, if you believe the recent media, may be equally menacing, a right wing Hindu nationalism. Is it the Hindu nationalism that welcomed the persecuted Jews in the BC era and gave them full rights to worship freely? Is it the nationalism of the Hindu King who gave land to the fleeing Parsies from the onslaught of the Islamists in Persia? Or does this Hindu nationalism represent the refuge Dharamshala of the Dalai Lama in Northern India?
Narendra Modi has already set his Hindu nationalists (all-inclusive secular) credentials by inviting the Prime Minister of Pakistan Shri Nawaz Sharif. Perhaps a new way, a new democracy, the one that is based on ‘duty’ rather than its traditional base of ‘rights and responsibilities’, for whilst ‘fear’ taints the traditional base it will have no place to hide in ‘duty’.
Hindu nationalism should be assessed by its respect for other cultures and faiths. It harbours no ill-fated concepts like ‘infidel’; it accords an evolutionary journey for each soul and thus does not pre-judge anyone. As a Sadhu wandering in the Himalayas, Narendra Modi would have well reflected on the kingdom of God within, so as to prepare him for this dawn of a new democracy, to be modelled by his Dharma on ‘duty’ and ‘sewa’.
Several Hindu organisations feel buoyant today and send their congratulations to Narendra Modi citing their further requests:
Mrs Krishna Bhan, President of the Indo-European Kashmir Forum (IEKF), said that of the 600,000 Kashmiri Pandits forced out of the Valley in 1990 more than half still live in refugee camps in squalid conditions. She sees the core problem of Kashmir in Nehru’s article 370 of the Constitution which the IEKF asks for it to be repealed.
Chiranjibi Paudyal, General Secretary of the Nepalese Hindu Forum UK, expresses joy for a shared culture and asks for help to enact their new Constitution which should unite the nation, not divide through Caste Vote banks which the Christian missionaries are interfering to create caste-led provinces as also they convert the indigenous and the Dalit poor en-masse.
Ravi Kumar, General Secretary of the British Tamil Forum, said that the Tamil women in Sri Lanka suffer extreme sexual violencethough punitive policies of the Government and asked for Indian Government’s assistance. The Sri Lankan Tamils feel particularly let down by India’s last Government and hope that the new Government will put due pressure on the Sri Lanka Government. Photo: Dr Shivkami offering solutions to the Tamil problems in Srilanka at the House of Commons.
Bangladesh Hindu Representatives and Pakistani Christian & Hindu groups have raised issues of the most horrible abductions of their young girls by the Islamists groups in those countries where regional policies for positive relations must include basic human rights for minorities.
Gautam Banerji, the HCUK Executive from the Bengali community, is humbled seeing the dignity with which Mrs. Jashodaben Modi stood through the media’s probe in the campaign trail; Narendra Modi has a human streak that only a woman can nurture to growth through love and care.
Sanjay Jagatia, General Secretary HCUK, has been supporting the Modi campaign. Swami Ramdev ji, the Yoga Guru. Swami ji took on the corrupt Government in 2012 when allegedlySonia Gandhi responded with an order to disperse the Swami’s congregations with police batons – lathi charge on innocent devotees. Since then Swami ji has worked hard to campaign for Modi ji, finally blessing him on his landslide victory with a Havan ceremony.