The vilification of Muslims is a complete sentence of which Modi speaks a part, the blank space ahead is filled by Adityanath and the task of completing it is left to Yati Narasinghanand and the rest of the religious gurus, according to The Wire.
The Wire was commenting on reports that after calls for genocide were raised at the Haridwar Dharma Sansad held between December 17-19, around 20 Hindutva religious leaders met for a similar two-day event in Chhattisgarh's Raipur on December 25-26 to urge "Sanatani Hindus" to begin preparation for the realization of the Hindu Rashtra meaning 'India is a Hindu state where followers of other religions have second class status.'
Neel Madhav and Apoorvanand wrote The Wire comment with the title: Narendra Modi and the Bloodthirsty Dharam Sansad speakers are closer than most people think.
The distinguished paper pointed out that speaking in his regular dog whistle mode, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has reinforced the hideous message of the Haridwar Dharam Sansad. People expressing their disappointment over the failure of BJP leaders and Union ministers - let alone the prime minister and the home minister - to condemn the genocidal calls against Muslims made by speakers there need to understand that there is no substantive difference between them.
After the prime minister's recent speech, one should not be surprised over his silence; rather, one is better placed to understand the coherence in Modi and Yati Narsinghanand's ideology. There should henceforth be no problem in understanding the relationship between the Dharam Sansad and the politics of the BJP, The Wire stressed adding:
Mughal Rule
"While addressing the Lakhpat Gurdwara in Kutch on December 25 via a video link, Prime Minister Modi said that the dangers the Sikh Gurus had warned about are present in the same form today. Modi further said, "Guru Tegh Bahadur's sacrifice and his heroic acts against (Mughal ruler) Aurangzeb have taught us how the country should fight terrorism and religious extremism."
"Mindful of the fact that he was addressing a Sikh audience, Modi repeatedly referred to the atrocities of the Mughals and Muslim rulers and the struggle of the Sikh Gurus against them: "During their (Mughal) rule there were so many atrocities that the Sikh Gurus laid down their lives for the country""
"According to newspaper reports of the speech, Modi talked about the Sikh Gurus as opponents of various Muslim rulers. He praised the Gurus as, according to him, they were giving their life fighting these rulers. They were doing this for the country. Guru Gobind Singh also fought Hindu kings, who saw the khalsa as a threat to the caste system. But Modi makes no mention of that.
"Modi's message was that what the Sikh Gurus did then has to be done even today because that danger exists even today. But where is that danger coming from? With whom are we to fight?"
The Wire went on to say that for years, Modi and the ruling BJP have been pushing this message of atrocities of the Mughals and Muslim rulers in different ways.
During the anti-CAA protest in December 2019, Modi said the protesters could be recognized by their clothes. His audience easily decoded his message. This was when protesting Muslims were being attacked in Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Delhi and elsewhere. The police either were the perpetrators or stood in support of those who were doing so. That was very well expressed in the slogans of "Delhi police lath chalao, hum tumhare saath hain" and "Modiji lath chalao, hum tumhare saath hain" (Delhi Police, use your lathis, we are with you).
'Dharma Sansad'
The Wire argued that what Modi said in a not so subtle but clever way on December 25 was said in the 'Dharma Sansad' without any cover. The theme of the event at Haridwar was "Sanatan's Future in Islamic India: Problems and Solutions.' Isn't India supposed to be as much Islamic, or Christian, or Sikh as it is Hindu?
The religious gurus present in the event were clear that only the genocide of Muslims can save India from becoming an Islamic nation. On the other hand, Modi, in Kutch and at Kashi earlier this month, warned Hindus and Sikhs about the danger of Aurangzeb, Ahmed Shah Abdali, Nadir Shah, and Syed Salar Masood. After taking their names, he says that the same threats exist in India today. He asks people to follow what Shivaji, Suhail Dev, Guru Tegh Bahadur or Banda Bahadur did.
Modi encodes the violence
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