By Prantik Ali
The 10-day ‘Sanatan Hindu Ekta Padyatra’ organized last month by Hindutva icon Dhirendra Shastri lived up to expectations as the apparently ‘apolitical’ rally turned into a platform for aggressive political posturing and championing the cause of a Hindu Rashtra. From meat and liquor ban to ‘ghar wapsi’ of ‘Love Jihad’ victims to ‘Mandir Wahi Banega’ to veiled threats to non-Hindus, the rally had it all.
Shastri, more popularly known as Bageshwar Baba, led the ‘walk’ from Delhi to Vrindavan to mobilize Hindus – ostensibly for the preservation of their religion and culture. However, during the course of the march, Shastri gave speeches that were unapologetically communal in tone and implication.
Take, for instance, this pledge, taken by Shastri in the presence of thousands of saffron-clad devotees, in UP’s Mathura: “Hum sab Hindu shapath lete hai, Hindutva ke liye karya karenge, Hindutva ke liye jeeyenge, aur Hindutva ke liye hi marenge…Hum sab Hindu shapath lete hai Bharat ko Hindu Rashtra banakar rahenge.”
As the head of the Bageshwar Dham temple in Chhatarpur, Madhya Pradesh, Shastri wields considerable influence as a Hindutva ideologue, blending the realms of the spiritual with the political. In February this year, the Prime Minister himself referred to Shastri as a ‘younger brother’, indicating Shastri’s importance in the scheme of the BJP-led majoritarian nationalist ideology.
Alt News explained in detail what Shastri’s legacy was and why PM Modi’s endorsement of him was problematic.
As the padyatra marched on through the Delhi-Yamuna express highway, the social media handles of Bageshwar Dham recorded teeming masses of devotees waving the saffron flag, fighting to catch a glimpse of the seer.
This story was originally published in altnews.in. Read the full story here.