New Delhi: In the last big confluence of Hindu saints - Dharm Sansad - organised by it before the Lok Sabha elections, the Sangh showcased an army of seers and flexed its own organisational strength in support of the BJP.
On the first day of two-day long Dharm Sansad, several Hindu saints, including Ramdev, not only praised the ruling government but also asked sadhus to turn their huge following into votes.
RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat was also present at the gathering. He warned the seers to be cautious against those “who have waged a covert war” against Hindus since “a Hindutva minded party came to power in 2014.” The message was repeated by other seers as well.
Deputy Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Keshav Prasad Maurya and spiritual guru and MP Satpal Maharaj were also present on the stage.
This was the second Dharm Sansad at the Kumbh. A three-day long ‘Param Dharm Sansad’, supervised by Shankaracharya Swaroopanand Saraswati of Dwarka Peeth, concluded on Wednesday by calling all Hindus of the country to come to Ayodhya on February 21 for laying of Ram Mandir’s foundation stone.
The VHP’s conclave of sadhus side-stepped the Ram Mandir issue, a resolution on which is likely to be passed tomorrow. “Before creation of Ram Mandir, we should focus on creation of a real country with real people,” Ramdev said.
“I have heard that a section of sadhus has decided to march to Ayodhya. But let me say here that if you want to march, march to Kashi. Let’s have a big round of applause for Modi and Yogi,” said Swami Chidanand Saraswati.
“We think that the work on Ram temple should happen only in the period of Yogi and Modi,” said Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas (RJN) president Mahant Nritya Gopal Das.
The RSS chief in his 20-minute long speech warned sadhus against ‘divisive forces’.
“There is a pan-India conspiracy to divide the Hindus through a covert war and we can see manifestations of it in cases like Sabarimala,” Bhagwat said. He added that attack on the traditions of Sabarimala was an attack on the belief of the entire Hindu community.
“Women are being brought from as far as Sri Lanka to get them a backdoor entry into the temple. Worshippers of Lord Ayyappa are integral part of the Hindu community.”
Bhagwat asked people to be wary of those who are fomenting divide within the Hindu community, through Patthargarhi movements, incidents like Bhima Koregaon, “A conspiracy is being hatched to widen caste divides also within the Hindus. We should be cautious,” he said.
The ongoing conclave of Hindu priests was organised as a push for the BJP just before the crucial elections.
Ramdev urged the seers to convert their following into votes. “If each one of you asks lakhs of your supporters to carry this message and vote, our voice will be heard not just in Dharm Sansad but in the Parliament as well,” he said.
He added that the issue of implementing Uniform Civil Code should be expedited by the present government.
Despite having a galaxy of spiritual leaders, the organisers were humbled by the constantly thinning audience. By the end of the program at about 4 pm, there were perhaps fewer people in the audience than those on stage. All eyes will be set on tomorrow’s event when VHP clears its stance on the Ram temple issue.
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