The very first essential for success is a perpetually constant & regular employment of violence: Adolf Hitler
NB: This is what is happening in India. A concerted assault on simple human decency. It is not aided by the ruling establishment, it is the policy of the ruling establishment – regardless of partisan affiliation. There is an underlying acceptance of controlled mob violence. It happened in 1984 (Delhi); in 2002 (Gujarat); 2007 (Odisha), etc etc. Many senior members of the ruling party are former members of the Congress: what did they believe then, and what do they believe now? Academicians who use high sounding jargon about ‘epistemic violence’ and ‘linguistic injustice’ remain blind to the real violence and injustice going on in front of their noses. Judges can easily take suo moto cognisance of such crimes, but they choose to remain silent. Do they think we are all blind, deaf and dumb? Shame on this regime.
I am glad Mr Tharoor spoke up in defence of secular values. We should be aware that manipulation of media and what-aboutery is an art-form for our rulers. The PM attends Christmas Mass in Delhi while his ideological allies commit acts of brutal desecration. What they are doing and have done for decades is the recruitment of hooliganism in the service of their ideology. In case Mr Tharoor and anyone else still is unaware of this, organisations such as the VJP and Bajrang Dal are fronts of the RSS, so is the BJP. They make a big show of autonomy, but nothing they do is unknown to or out of reach of the mother organisation.
This is the dynamic politics of limitless freedom for some; and a fearful existence and humiliation for others. They enjoy impunity from criminal justice, and are bent upon ruling the country – upon which they claim proprietorial rights – with hooliganism and brutality. Theirs is a politics which doesn’t recognize any limits, despite their avowal of conservatism. It’s perpetual motion, a dynamism which uses street violence + power to create endless chaos. Domination + chaos.
The RSS/BJP should realise that they are systematically destroying Indian culture, not preserving it: DS
The Telegraph: Hindu extremists try to shut down Christmas in India
Hindu extremists are trying to shut down Christmas in India as experts warn of a dramatic escalation in targeted attacks on Christians. Right-wing vigilante groups have been raiding churches, disrupting Christmas celebrations and tearing down festive decorations across multiple states in the predominantly Hindu country.
There have been more than 60 reported incidents involving disruptions of Christmas gatherings or church services across India, according to the Christian organisation Open Doors. In one widely shared video from the eastern state of Odisha, a group of Hindu men harassed roadside vendors selling Santa hats. The men claimed the sale of “Christian items” was not allowed as India is a “Hindu rashtra” (Hindu state), which excludes Muslim and Christian minorities. “Being Hindus, how can you do this?” they asked the sellers. “Wrap up quickly and go away from here. If you have to sell anything, sell Lord Jagannath’s merchandise.”
Christians are a small minority in India, making up 2 per cent of the population of 1.4 billion. Hindus make up 80 per cent and Muslims 14 per cent. Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), a Right-wing Hindu group aligned to the ruling conservative Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), has been urging the Hindu community to refrain from celebrating Christmas. Surendra Gupta, general secretary of the VHP, wrote in a letter earlier this month that the participation in other faiths’ festivals “may lead to social acceptance of other faiths”. Critics argued he was attempting to constrain religious freedom. Christian leaders say incidents of violence are becoming increasingly frequent. The United Christian Forum recorded more than 600 attacks against Christians across India this year, averaging nearly two incidents a day, including mob assaults, public humiliation, church disruption and the demolition of homes.
There are also fears over the increasing enforcement of anti-conversion laws, which in theory are aimed to prevent forced religious conversions. However, experts say they are routinely misused to target and persecute Christians and other religious minorities. Twelve Indian states now enforce such laws. This year, 123 criminal complaints were filed against Christians. Tensions have particularly escalated in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, where Hindu vigilante groups have attacked churches, leading to violent confrontations.
In an incident on Monday, a group led by Anju Bhargava, a regional leader within the BJP, was filmed storming into a Christian church in the city of Jabalpur and physically assaulted a visually impaired woman. Last week, a group of Hindu extremists raided another church in the city, throwing chairs at the congregation and accusing priests of carrying out forced conversions. Police said several people were detained over the incident.
Earlier this month, members of the European Parliament and a human rights group met to address what they described as a sharp escalation in targeted attacks against Christians in India. “Christians in India are punished not for wrongdoing but for simply gathering, praying, or helping their neighbours,” said Tehmina Arora, director of advocacy in Asia for the Alliance Defending Freedom International. “Even the supreme court of India recently noted how the anti-conversion laws are misused to wrongly prosecute Christians,” she told MEPs.
Bajrang Dal vandalise Christmas celebrations
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“Freedom Of Worship Being Attacked”: Shashi Tharoor On Christmas Vandalism
Spotlighting the reports of the alleged attack on Christians in the days leading up to Christmas, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor served a warning: “when traditions are attacked, it is all of us”. The Thiruvananthapuram MP pointed out that there was an attack on a carol singing group in Kerala’s Palakkad, adding that there’s a need to display “solidarity with our Christian brothers”.
“To my mind, this solidarity is fundamental, and we’re going through a time, and sadly, there are attacks on Christians in different places of the country. Even in Kerala, there was an attack on a carol singing group in Palakkad, which is truly shocking,” Tharoor, the four-time MP, said.
VHP, Bajang Dal on the rampage on Christmas Day
“When our traditions are attacked, it is not only Christians who are attacked, it is all of us. Every Indian is assaulted. Our constitutional guarantee of freedom of worship, freedom of belief is being attacked, and we must all stand in solidarity with our Christian brothers,” he said.
The Congress leader said that he spent every Christmas Eve going from one church to another, though he managed to visit only four churches this time as his flight from Delhi was delayed. “This year, my flight was late from Delhi, so I managed only four churches, but it is always very special to go, to listen sometimes to only a part of the sermon, but also then end up at midnight mass at St. Joseph’s Cathedral,” he said.
“I had a wonderful experience in going from church to church, and in particular at St Mary’s, where Cardinal Cleemis, the major archbishop of the Syro-Malankara Church, he called me up on stage and gave me a morsel of chocolate cake himself and said some kind things,” he said. The Congress leader stressed how showing respect for cultural traditions of all communities is central to Kerala politics.
In Rajasthan’s Nagaur, the principal of a private school has alleged that a group of people claiming to be Bajrang Dal members threatened children and staff over Christmas celebrations at the institute.
In UP’s Bareilly, Members of the Bajrang Dal staged a protest outside St Alphonsus Cathedral Church and recited the ‘Hanuman Chalisa’, alleging that the Hindu religion and society were portrayed in an objectionable manner during a Christmas programme organised by the church.
“Waiting for someone within the responsible leadership of a party in power to say even as much as ‘Stop, O man of cruelty (Manishada),” he added….
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