Hindutva gets a boost

On a day when Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi was inducted into BJP's Parliamentary Board, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat raked up the issue of Ram Mandir in Gujarat state capital, expressing the desire for a glorious "Shree Ram Mandir". "We will have to build good, honest and true Hindus in Bharat, because, now the whole world will be following Hindus. "In the near future, we are taking up mass recitation of 'Vijay Mantra' for a glorious temple, Shree Ram Mandir," Bhagwat said while addressing a public gathering, 'Hindu Sangam', organised by the VHP in Ahmedabad. The announcement assumes significance for its timing as Modi, who has often been projected as BJP's prime ministerial candidate by some sections, was inducted in the party's highest-decision making body, Parliamentary Board, by party president Rajnath Singh. Setting the Hindutva tone, Bhagwat said, "the stage has been set for Hindus to take the intellectual leadership of the world...Whole world has no other option but to follow Hindus". "Though intellectually Hindus have established leadership in the world, physically that is absent. A Hindu is a Hindu in his thoughts but not so much in his behaviour. We have to change this," the 'Sarsanghchalak' said. VHP, under the leadership of its International Working President Pravin Togadia has organised 'Hindu Sangam' to launch a new movement called "Hindu Ahead for Hindu Security and Prosperity" which aims to reach out to the majority community. The RSS chief was the chief guest at the function. This is perhaps for the first time that Bhagwat has attended a public function organised by VHP in Gujarat. In his brief address, Bhagwat also expressed the need "to imbibe true Hindu values and adopt the Hindu way of living by adopting Hindu language and appearance". Gujarat to be declared a Hindu state by 2015 VHP will declare Gujarat a "Hindu state" by 2015 besides having its presence in all 18,000 villages of the state in the next two years, the outfit's leader Praveen Togadia claimed. "In two years, the VHP will have a presence in all 18,000 villages of Gujarat and by 2015, we will declare Gujarat a Hindu state," VHP's international working president Pravin Togadia told VHP followers who gathered here for the 'Hindu Sangam' event. The absence of Narendra Modi at the function was conspicuous though the VHP organised the event in the area which falls in the Gujarat Chief Minister's constituency. In the past, the Gujarat VHP has been at loggerheads with Modi over a range of issues including demolition of illegal temples in Gandhinagar and Ahmadabad. The VHP, through its 'Hindu Sangam,' announced plans for the resurrection of the organisation, which would celebrate 50 years of its inception in 2014. Raising the issue of Ram Mandir, Togadia said, "Unless and until we will become Hindus, not only by our behaviour, but with our practice and awareness, only then will our dream of building Ram Mandir at Ayodhya be fulfilled."