Puri Shankaracharya said that many countries have been declared as Muslim and Christian nations, while there was no such country for the Hindus. He said the United Nations should designate India, Nepal and Bhutan Hindu nations.
Puri Shankaracharya Swami Nischalananda Saraswati wants India to be declared a Hindu nation.(HT Photo)
While the country is witnessing massive protests over fears that Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC) may dilute the nation’s secular credentials enshrined in the Constitution, Puri Shankaracharya Swami Nishalananda Saraswati says India should be declared a ‘Hindu Rashtra’, meaning, a Hindu nation.
Talking to reporters in his abode of Govardhan Math in Puri on Friday, Saraswati said that many countries have been declared as Muslim and Christian nations, while there was no such country for the Hindus.
“At present there are no Hindu nations. Hence, it is the responsibility of the United Nations to declare India, Nepal and Bhutan as Hindu nations in the first phase. Hindus, who are being persecuted in other countries should be rehabilitated in these three countries,” said Saraswati.
The Shankaracharya said if any Muslim feels neglected in any other country and wants to leave the particular nation, he/she should be rehabilitated in any of the Muslim nations.
On CAA, Puri Shankaracharya said, “The present violence and unrest could have been avoided if adequate steps were taken for proper consultations, discussions and awareness before its enactment.”
In Odisha, protests against the CAA were held in Niali area of Cuttack and Biramitrapur area of Sundargarh district on Friday.
Shankaracharya’s advocacy for a Hindu nation comes on the day Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayana wrote to chief ministers of 11 states including Odisha to oppose the CAA.
The Biju Janata Dal, which voted for CAA, today also came out in support of the National Population Register (NPR) saying it was not a new exercise.
“The NPR of 2020 is a repeat of the NPR 2010. It is necessary to gauge the economic and social status of the people of the country,” said BJD spokesperson Pratap Deb.
The State government also started the census process by designating district collectors as principal census officers. Similarly, it appointed additional district magistrates as district census officers. During the first phase of Census 2020, enumerators would visit every household between April and September to collect the details required for the NPR.