After Ram Mandir, focus should be on harmony, not new disputes: RSS chief
Says not every issue can be another Ram Mandir
Pune (PTI): RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat has expressed concern over resurgence of several temple-mosque disputes and said certain individuals, after the construction of Ayodhya Ram temple, seem to believe they can become “leaders of Hindus” by raking up such issues.
Delivering a lecture on ‘India – The Vishwaguru’, at Sahjeevan Vyakhyanmala (lecture series) here on Thursday, Bhagwat advocated for an inclusive society and said the world needs to be shown that the country can live together in harmony.
Highlighting the plurality of Indian society, the chief of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) said Christmas is celebrated in Ramakrishna Mission, adding “only we can do this because we are Hindus”.
“We have been living in harmony for a long time. If we want to provide this harmony to the world, we need to create a model of it. After the construction of the Ram Mandir, some people think they can become leaders of Hindus by raking up similar issues in new places. This is not acceptable,” he said.
The Ram temple was constructed since it was a matter of faith for all Hindus, Bhagwat said.
“Every day a new matter (dispute) is being raked up. How can this be allowed? This cannot continue. India needs to show that we can live together,” he said without mentioning any particular site.
Several demands for surveys of mosques to unearth temples have found their way to courts in the recent past, though Bhagwat did not mention any by name in his lecture.
Some groups that came from outside brought with them staunchness and they want their old rule to return, he said.
“But now the country runs as per the Constitution. In this setup, people choose their representatives, who run the government. The days of hegemony are gone,” he asserted.
He said the rule of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb was characterised by such staunchness, though his descendant Bahadur Shah Zafar in 1857 banned cow slaughter.
“It was decided that Ram Mandir in Ayodhya should be given to Hindus but the British sensed it and created a rift between the two communities. Since then, this sense of ‘algavwad’ (separatism) came into being. As a result, Pakistan came into existence,” he said.
Bhagwat asked why the “language of dominance” was being used if everybody identifies themselves as Indians.
“Who is a minority and who is a majority? Everyone is equal here. The tradition of this nation is all can follow their own forms of worship. The only requirement is to live in harmony and abide by rules and laws,” the RSS chief asserted.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Andhra: Family receives dead body in box with Rs 1.3 crore demand
Yendagandi (Andhra Pradesh) (PTI): The dead body of a 45-year-old unidentified man was delivered to a family here in West Godavari district in a box with a demand for over Rs one crore claiming it to be the compounded amount of a loan taken years ago, police said on Friday.
The box was delivered at the under construction house of the family on Thursday night.
District superintendent of police Adnan Nayeem Asmi said the box was delivered to the family of four with a letter demanding them to pay up Rs 1.35 crore.
"Last night the body reached this place (under construction house)," Asmi told PTI, adding police were probing the case to unearth further details.
According to police sources, the box was delivered to Sagi Tulasi's under construction home at Yendagandi village in Undi mandal in an autorickshaw.
Incidentally, Tulasi's husband went missing more than 10 years ago and never returned home, prompting her to live with her parents
Asmi said Tulasi lived with her parents until her younger sister arrived and later she moved to a rented accommodation.
Later, Tulasi started constructing a house about one km away from her parents' home and started receiving help from a philanthropist, who had sent her high quality tiles and paints in September.
According to the police, the unidentified philanthropist told Tulasi that as they both belonged to the same caste and that she was a 'widow', he was helping her.
Similarly, a message was sent to Tulasi on Thursday that she would receive some electrical goods such as motors and other articles and the box was delivered, with the body in it, police said.
Upon discovering the corpse, Tulasi's family informed the police. Along with the body, they also found a letter which claimed that Tulasi's husband had taken a loan of Rs 3 lakh back in 2008, which has now compounded to Rs 1.35 crore.
"'So, if you don't want anything bad to happen, you should pay up", police said quoting from the letter, adding the family does not have such financial muscle. A property dispute angle was also being suspected.
"We are checking up on all the missing people in the last three to four days. After post mortem (of the body) we will get more clarity," said the SP.
Meanwhile, Asmi noted that the younger son-in-law of the family has been missing since yesterday.
