Darmashkian
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In another act of embarrassment for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat stoked controversy again on Sunday by remarking that India belongs to the Hindus.
“Hindustan is our nation, a rashtra of Hindus,” the RSS Sarsanghchalak said in Meerut while addressing a meeting of several wings of the party.
“But we have to expand it by uniting all Hindus. Our country would become great if we succeed in uniting the Hindus. This unity will also be a bliss for the world. The world will awaken if the Hindus are united and awakened,” he added.
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RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat said: "Our country would become great if we succeed in uniting the Hindus".
Bhagwat claimed that the situation, which was against the Hindus for last many decades, was now in their favour.
“Now, we are in a position to weigh and assess our power. It is not the favourable or unfavourable situation which helps us in pursuing our plans. It is our power which ensures our success. But it is also true that currently the circumstances are in our favour. This was not the situation before. In the past, nobody in the world used to care about the Sangh. Our workers had no means to take forward our ideology. But the situation has changed,” Bhagwat told Sangh workers.
It was only recently that US President Barack Obama, during his visit to New Delhi, had warned India against religious intolerance in the country. Bhagwat also said although there was caste system in the country and people were aware of it, now is the time to change it and unite the Hindu community beyond caste lines.
It was not the first time that the RSS chief has equated India with only one religion. He said this in the recent past in Mumbai and Bhubaneswar.
Cadres take part in an RSS programme in Bulandshahr, Uttar Pradesh
Speaking on similar lines, Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) president Praveen Togadia had claimed a few days ago that those who were living in India were Hindus.
Viewing such statements in the light of the Constitution of India, observers dubbed Bhagwat’s remark weird and unacceptable.
Spokesperson of the Uttar Pradesh unit of Congress Dwijendra Tripathi said: “The people had voted the BJP to power in the name of development. They didn’t know that the Sangh Parivar will take up religious and other contentious issues. The silence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on these statements and activities of the RSS and its other wings are deplorable. He must not be unaware that such a demand is against the basic tenets of the Constitution of India.”
Bhagwat has been camping in Meerut since Friday and meeting senior RSS, VHP and BJP leaders of the state.
Ghaziabad MP and Minister of State for External Affairs V.K. Singh, Meerut MP Rajendra Agrawal, Prant Prachar Pramukh of RSS Ajay Mittal and BJP state president Laxmikant Bajpai have met him over the past two days.
'Demolish Allahabad fort'
Piyush Srivastava in Lucknow
Kicking up another controversy, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) on Saturday claimed that the fort built by Mughal emperor Akbar in Allahabad is a ‘symbol of slavery’ and demanded its demolition.
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The VHP called the fort "a symbol of slavery" that should be torn down
“This fort, along the banks of Yamuna river, should be razed and a shelter home for poor pilgrims should be constructed in its place. We cannot let this building stand here because it symbolises slavery,” VHP leader Ashok Singhal said.
The Allahabad fort, built by Akbar in 1583, is the fourth largest fort built by him. Currently, the structure is used as an ordnance depot by the Indian Army.
'SCs are religious warriors'
VHP patron Ashok Singhal (right) with Shankaracharya Vasudevan and Saraswati of Badrikashram in Allahabad
Echoing the views of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh’s (RSS) call to bring the Scheduled Castes (SCs) in the fold of the Sangh Parivar, Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) patron Ashok Singhal has come out in support of members of Valmiki and Sonkar castes urging they be treated equally and respectfully.
“The Valmikis, Sonkars and other Scheduled Castes are dharm-yoddhas (religious warriors). They should be honoured instead of being ostracised, he said.
The VHP patriarch alleged Islamic invaders had, many centuries ago, compelled a section of Hindus to take up menial tasks as they had refused to convert to Islam despite untold acts of oppression.
“The people consider them as untouchables. But they actually belong to the upper Hindu castes. They fought against the Islamic rulers. This was the reason why they were forced to do menial works and were pushed back in the society,” he added.
Singhal shared these views while addressing a meeting of the seers and members of the Sangh Parivar in Allahabad on Saturday.
Choosing to play the religious card, Singhal urged the Centre to start the process for construction of Ram Temple in Ayodhya and declared that his party would soon start a campaign to take over the holy cities of Kashi and Mathura.
“The Centre must pave the way for construction of Ram Temple in Ayodhya. We also want back Kashi and Mathura,” he said.
Going against the various studies made by historians, the saffron brigade claims that Mughal emperor Aurangzeb had ordered demolition of a section of the Kashi Vishwanath Temple to construct the Gyanvapi mosque.
Mathura has also been in VHP agenda since the beginning.
In an oblique reference to the victory of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the Lok Sabha polls last year, Singhal said: “Prithviraj Chauhan had established Hindu rule in the country 800 years ago. Once again the Hindus are in power again. They have awakened. We must keep this awakening alive.”
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The_Showstopper
How in the world is this an embarrassment for the BJP??
. He is known to be a follower of Savarkar who also was a firm believer in Hindutva+Ghar Wapasi. 
