Does India belong to the Hindus alone?

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Volunteers of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) march through a street during a three-day workers camp on the outskirts of Ahmadabad. —AP/file

Times in India are a changing, and changing fast.

The coming to power of the Modi-BJP government in May 2014 has emboldened the associates of BJP, which are a part of the RSS progeny.

The RSS is working for the agenda of Hindu nationalism and has created many children organisations like Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Bajrang dal and Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram to name a few.

Collectively, these group are organisations originating from the RSS school of politics, which are called Sangh Parivar or also the RSS Combine.

These organisations have been working in different areas of society-nation for the agenda of the Hindu rashtra (Nation), contrary to the values of Indian nationalism.

 

Also read: RSS converts 350 Muslims to Hinduism, say papers

 

One of their works is in the Adivasi (tribal) areas. This work pertains to subjugating Adivasis to adopt the Hindu identity and also to communalise them. Their organisation, Vanavasi Kalyan Ashram in particular, in association with other organisations has been very active in the Adivasiareas for the last few decades.

In these areas, they have pursued the reconversion, ‘Ghar Wapasi’, very aggressively.

 

Their argument is that those who converted to Islam or Christianity have done so under force or allurement, and so, to bring them back to the Hindu fold is not conversion but merely their returning home.

 

This has been the major plank of their work in many Adivasi areas in Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Orissa in particular.

They have devised new rituals, like making Adivasis take baths in hot springs, participate in havans, and yagnas (Hindu rituals around fire) and then, declare that they have become Hindus.



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