India remain a secular country only because Hindus decided to remain secular...Dr. Swamy

Ranchi 29 Oct : Noted scholar and Janta Party president Subramanian Swamy advocated critical shift in thinking about Hinduism to make it politically viable to counter some of the burning issues of the country like corruption and terrorism.Swamy was speaking on the topic ‘Mahatma Gandhi and Hinduism’ on Saturday organised by the Hindustan News Agency in Ranchi.

Talking about India facing terrorism he said that the time has come for certain changes in our mindset about Hinduism. “It needs to be transformed and reformed to make it politically suitable to counter such threats. A soft approach will not work. 

We need to be tough,” he said.Dismissing that talk with Maoists will bear any fruit he advised Chief Minister Arjun Munda, present on the dais to use State’s might to weed out Naxalism. “Maoists believe in power and weapons which needed to be countered effectively through force. Wherever force is required it must be applied, he added. He referred to the example of his home State Tamilnadu where he as Central Minister in the then Chandrasekhar-led Government had sternly dealt Tamil separatists after the Karunanidhi government was dismissed.

Similarly he staunchly supported the need of strategic population balance in Jammu & Kashmir to counter Islamic terrorism here. He demanded rehabilitation of displaced Kashmiri Pandits in J&K and retired military personnels.Terming Gandhi a true Hindu and secular by heart who used the weapons of non-violence against the mighty British Empire. “With the non-violence against mighty British Empire was a judicious decision of Gandhiji otherwise, the movement could have been suppressed.Swamy said that the philosophy of Gandhi about Hinduism and country needed to be interpreted in view of the modern day requirement. “The Congress party has forgotten Gandhiji but we need to popularise his thoughts”, he said.

He termed Jahawarlal Nehru, the first PM of India who initiated rot in the Indian politics and cherished social value, as mindless and a follower of Russian inspired socialism, market theory and hollow secularism which proved to be the bane for the country.

“My title often confuses foreigners as a saint and they approach me for some spiritual solace. I never pretend to be a saint or swamy. But a foreigner having Gandhi title is running the Congress and nation by proxy and pretends to be inheritor of Gandhi who had rejected foreigners.” Swamy made an indirect attack on Congress president in a lively discourse and punching satire for an hour.

He said that India chose to remain a secular country only because Hindus decided to remain secular. Hinduism and Indian, he referred as a universal religion and India as a pluralistic country which accommodated and gave shelter to oppressed and attracting millions to join its fold. Swamy hit hard at Muslim fundamentalism but praised intellectuals of the community to forge Hindu-Muslim unity.

Speaking on Gandhi and Hinduism, Munda said that vision of Gandhi about Gram Swaraj and politics must be revived for good governance. Another speaker Harivansh, chief editor of a Hindi daily said that Hinduism has always advocated social reform and the process must be continued.

Source : Daily Pioneer