BHOPAL, 26 March 2005 — The Hindu fundamentalist saffron brigade has asked its political wing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) not to feel apologetic about pursuing cultural nationalism.
The joint “Thinkers Meet” of the RSS, BJP, VHP and writers subscribing to the saffron brigade ideology, has asked the BJP to return to cultural nationalism without reservation.
Speaking to media persons at the end of the two-day ‘Thinkers’ Meet’ here, RSS spokesperson Ram Madhav said the general perception is that a major reason for the BJP’s defeat in the last Lok Sabha election was its deviation from cultural nationalism.
He said, “The general view at the meeting was that the BJP need not be apologetic about pursuing its ideology of cultural nationalism. It should get back to its core image in terms of ideology, idealism and organization without reservation.”
Madhav clarified that the BJP’s ideology of cultural nationalism is synonymous with the Hindutva ideology of the RSS. “Cultural nationalism is the political manifestation of Hindutva,” he said.
He said the BJP should also try to stick to its idealism of being a “party with a difference”. Asked if either the RSS or the VHP was thinking of floating its own political party, he said the suggestion had come a few months back. However, it was decided not to pursue it, he added.
The RSS leader said the meeting, attended by about 50 intellectuals and 10 members of the RSS, VHP and the BJP, also discussed the challenges facing the Sangh Parivar after the UPA came to power at the center. He charged that the UPA government has been trying to defame the symbols of nationalism valuable to the Parivar like the “conspiracy” hatched against Kanchi seer Jayendra Saraswati.
He alleged that the Communists were “pillion-driving” the UPA government. “The Communists were preparing strategies for the UPA government. Some union ministers are puppets in the hands of the Communists,” he said.
Madhav disclosed that the issues discussed at the meeting included the denial of visa to Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, the “demographic imbalance” revealed by the Census 2001 and Jayendra Saraswati’s case.
