ICC Note:

Senior members of multiple Hindu nationalist organizations have declared their intentions to make India Christian and Muslim free by 2023. According to these radicals, Christians and Muslims must convert to Hinduism or else face persecution. According to one leader, Hindus should be given greater access to guns so that they can better protect their religion. Radical Hindu nationalism continues to rise in India and is the main driver of Christian persecution. Will India’s government, sworn to protect religious freedom, take action against these groups declaring their intention to attack religious minorities? 

06/15/2017 India (Times of India) – Senior functionaries of multiple Hindutva organisations, speaking at the ongoing sixth Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Adhivesha being held in the state, on Wednesday proclaimed their intentions to form a ‘Hindu rashtra’ in the country by 2023. Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Sadhvi Saraswati said Hindus needed to take up arms to protect their faith, while representatives of various Hindu outfits said Indian gun laws needed to be amended.

Saraswati further said that nobody could stop them from creating a Hindu nation and added that “Christians and Muslims in the country have to either do a ‘ghar wapasi’ or face the same situation that the Hindus are facing in other countries”.

Saraswati said, “Hindus are being attacked in Kerala, cow is being slaughtered and corruption is rising in the country every day. The Hindu population is living under threat today. If there is a need to pick up arms to protect our religion, I see no wrong in that,” and added that

The Sadhvi, along with Ramesh Shinde, national spokesperson of the Hindu Janajagruti Samiti said that their organizations would not be held back by the constitution of India in their mission and added that for them “the constitution is one that was written by Ram and Krishna”.

Suggesting that the country should be advised by saints rather than the constitution, the Sadhvi added that Hindu saints should take up the responsibility of four to five villages to make the country a Hindu Rashtra by 2023.

Adding on to Sadhvi’s demand, Bajrang Dal representative Paras Rajput said that the government should amend the gun control laws to allow people to possess weapons for self-defense.

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