Hindutva groups organising events where prominent Right-wing faces call for the creation of the Hindu Rashtra and issue direct or veiled threats to minorities have become common in India, but what made the Sanatan Rashtra Sankhanad Mahotsav at Delhi’s Bharat Mandapam stand out from them was that it was co-presented by the Union government.
The two-day event on December 13 and 14 featured a range of demands, including the creation of a Hindu Rashtra, the mass deportation and conversion of Muslims, and even calls to amend the Constitution of India to formally declare the country a Hindu nation. It was organized by two organizations named Save Culture Save Bharat Foundation and Sanatan Sanstha in association with Union ministry of culture and the ministry of tourism of the Delhi government.
Union ministers Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Shripad Nayak and Sanjay Seth, along with Delhi tourism and culture minister Kapil Mishra, spoke at the Sanatan Rashtra Sankhanad Mahotsav, along with a host of RW ideologues. The participation of the ministers and the government’s involvement gave legitimacy to several of the speakers openly challenging the very secular foundations of the Indian republic. All banners and publicity material of the event carried the Union government and Delhi government’s name and logo. Below are two examples:
At a press conference on December 8, the organisers outlined the purpose and tone of the event. It would be a two-day “Ganga of Knowledge” aimed at exploring the concept of Sanatan Rashtra, they said. Abhay Vardhak, chairman of Sanatan Sanstha, added that Sanatan Rashtra was not just an idea but the very “soul of our nation.” The event was intended to promote the ideology of Hindu Rashtra and educate attendees about the glory and gallantry of the Maratha Kings, who, the organisers claimed, had compelled the Mughals to leave the country.
According to Sanatan Sanstha, over 3000 delegates and representatives from more than 800 Hindu organisations from across the country were to participate in the programme.
Sanatan Sanstha is a Hindutva organisation founded by ‘hypnotherapist’ Jayant Balaji Athavale in Goa in 1999. The Karnataka police are currently investigating the Sanstha in connection with the murders of Gauri Lankesh and M M Kalaburgi. However, the organisation has consistently denied any involvement in these killings.
This story was originally published in altnews.in. Read the full story here.