The Hindu : Hindutva brooks no hatred: PM

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jan 01, 2003

Front Page

Front Page

Hindutva brooks no hatred: PM

By Harish Khare

New Delhi Dec. 31. Describing as ``unfortunate and unacceptable'' the interpretation that is being put on Hindutva by ``some people in a narrow, rigid and extremist manner,'' the Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, has spoken against the recent spurt of extremism in the country. ``Hindutva is liberal, liberating and brooks no ill-will, hatred or violence among different communities on any ground,'' he said in his `musings' from his holiday camp in Goa.

Without naming the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Mr. Vajpayee sought to distance himself and his regime from the strident voices that have emanated from a section of the Sangh Parivar after the Gujarat vote. Addressing himself to the critics at home and abroad, he said he stood by secularism; and, according to him, ``secularism is a concept of the state, enjoining upon it the duty to show respect for all faiths and to practise no discrimination among citizens on the basis of their beliefs''.

As he has done in the last two years, Mr. Vajpayee chose the New Year-eve to communicate a few stray thoughts to those within and outside the Government. The exercise, spelling out his thinking, also sought to re-inforce his position as someone who stood at some distance from the ``Parivar crowd''.

Asserting that people should have an understanding of Hindutva ``which is forward-looking, not one that seeks to take us back'', the Prime Minister called ``the current controversy over Hindutva'' as ``wholly unnecessary''. It is ``incorrect and untenable'' to pit secularism against Hindutva ``under the belief that the two are antithetical to one another.'' For him, ``there is no difference between such (an enlightened Hindutva) and Bharateeyata (Indianness)''.

This Bharateeyata, as also enlightened Hindutva, affirmed ``that India belongs to all, and all belong to India. It means that all Indians have equal rights and equal responsibilities. It entails recognition of our common national culture, which is enriched by all the diverse religious and non-religious traditions in India. For centuries, both have synonymously pointed to our national identity.'' And, it is this Indianness that ``we should all celebrate and further strengthen''.

Mr. Vajpayee cautioned that this Indianness had to be strengthened ``in spite of every provocation, big or small, coming from our western neighbour.'' Finding it odd that even after all these years Pakistan had not accepted ``the unchangeable reality of a united and secular India'', he said its ``campaign of jehadi terrorism is doomed to fail''.

Mr. Vajpayee said that ``Pakistan cannot fight religious extremism and modernise itself as long as it chooses to be in a position of permanent confrontation with India''. Reminding Pakistan of the futility of its insistence on the ``centrality'' of the Kashmir issue, Mr. Vajpayee invited Islamabad to a regime of strengthened ties. His Government had neither given in to a directionless drift nor given up on governance. He spoke enthusiastically of a number of initiatives, clubbed together as ``connectivity revolution''. Beyond connectivity in areas such as highways, telecom, internet, river, he talked of the ``connectivity of the hearts and minds of one billion Indians''.

Spurning the increasingly partisan noises from within the ruling party, Mr. Vajpayee talks of expanding ``the areas of consensus on economic and other urgent reforms''.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Front Page

Stories in this Section

Hindutva brooks no hatred: PM

Economic growth likely to be better this year

Cong. hints at backing Samajwadi Party in U.P.

History Congress panel to examine NCERT textbooks

'Patna bandh' turns violent

New Army chief takes over

Coast Guard vessel sinks

Security stepped up

Hearing on Jan. 6