On March 1, 2017, RSS mahanagar pramukh Kundan Chandrawat said, “Have you forgotten Godhra? You killed 56, we sent 2,000 to the graveyard. [He makes a slicing motion with his hand and the audience applauds loudly]. We – this same Hindu community – shoved [their corpses] underground [he gestures downwards, more applause]. You have killed 300 pracharaks and activists; we will present Bharat Mata with a garland of 300,000 skulls in return.”
In August 2014, a BJP chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath, declared at a public meeting against the alleged ‘love jihad’ of Muslims, “If they take one Hindu girl, we will take at least 100 Muslim girls. If they kill one Hindu, we will kill 100 Muslims.”
While speaking about upcoming elections in Uttar Pradesh, BJP MLA Jagan Prasad Garg reportedly told the crowd, “You will have to fire bullets, you will have to take up rifles, you will have to wield knives. Elections are approaching in 2017, begin showing your strength from now onwards.” The crowd of approximately 5,000 people chanted slogans such as, “Jis Hindu ka khoon na khaule, khoon nahin wo pani hai (Any Hindu whose blood does not boil isn’t Hindu enough).”
The hatred and intolerance dates back many years in India. In 2002, a New York Times report quoted Harish Bhai Bhatt, a VHP leader, as saying “Now, it is the end of tolerance. If the Muslims do not learn, it will be very harmful for them.” The tide of Hindu radical nationalism has been a long time coming and culminated in the election of Prime Minister Modi in 2014. The BJP, RSS, and VHP will continue to push this radical ideology as a primary component of their identity and thereby continue to incite violence and hate toward all ‘non-Indian’ elements of the country.
International Christian Concern recently surveyed 1,000 Christians across eight states in India and found that an overwhelming majority of Christians (68.8%) feel discriminated against and feel that their safety is significantly threatened. 80.25% of the Christians surveyed expressed that the perception of local police was biased against them. This is especially concerning as the survey also reported that 85.61% of the Christians surveyed sense an increase of violence from Hindu radicals against their communities, families, and places of worship. The survey served as a defining indicator of the deepening hatred festering in the radical Hindu community.
In spite of the troubling realities surrounding those who have organized the World Hindu Congress, many members of Congress and public servants have pledged their support for the event and even agreed to participate as speakers and presenters. These include Republican State Legislator Niraj Antani and Democratic Member of Congress Raja Krishnamoorthi. Even major corporations such as Walmart and FedEx are participating as speakers and presenters. International Christian Concern and many partner organizations are publicly calling these key figures to boycott the event in protest.
Needless to say, the radical organizations behind the event represent a direct threat to the values that the United States and much of the world hold dear. Their ideological stance directly violates the human rights of all people and it is not in the best interest of any representative, organization, or company to support this event. The United States and all who represent and value the freedoms and principles enshrined in the US constitution should raise their voices publicly and call attention to the realities that underpin the World Hindu Congress.
For interviews with Matias Perttula, Advocacy Director, please contact Olivia Miller, Communications Coordinator: press@persecution.org