Dear Janardan Babu, Soren Babu and others,

 

These are hardcore Hindutva ideologues. They don't belong to Jharkhand or Orissa - one seems to be from South and the other seems to be safely esconsed in Modi's Gujarat. One can very well imagine these people as being office bearers of the Sangh Parivar or at least their brainwashed middle class footsoldiers. They have an extreme Hindutva perspective on everything, and are busy spreading their worldview all the time. They don't seem to have any interest apart from that, and are vitiating all discussions in this forum.

 

It has been the failure of the progressives, including the left, to indulge in kneejerk reactions to the rightwing reactionaries of Hindutva. One needs to remember that we had a similar situation in pre-World War II Germany - a deep and abiding sense of national injustice played upon by the Nazis, a sense of persecution, demonising the minorities and those who were different and a crazed international market system (including the financial markets). One can almost see a mirror image of the Nazis in the hindutva brigade, which has adopted their methods and means with great elan. It is still not too late for progressives to come together and halt the march of these crazies - we need to expose them for what they are. By not speaking up against them, all the people who are silent participate in their crimes and excesses, and allow them even more space to grow. People like Venkitesh and Kumar have started to occupy all the spaces of public participation and dialogues - and there is no rationality in their discussions. In fact I wouldn't be surprised if they have been tasked by their mother organisations to inflitrate listserves and spread their hindutva propaganda.

They talk about Ramrajya, but have established Ravan rajya in places like Kandhamal. They are no better than the terrorists of right and left that they use to justify their own violence and hatred, and leave no place for those who would like to see a peaceful, secular, democratic country.

 

The moderators of this forum seem to think that they are allowing free speech- but when certain members openly espouse and condone "terrorism" and use abusive words against women, they don't seem to pay attention. These hindutvavadis also seem to be fulltime webserfers, with all the time in the world to take up any issue, twist it with hindutva perspective, and destroy any possibilities of reasoned discussion in this forum. As anyone can see they have a one point agenda. Go to internet version of any newspaper which reported on the Kandhamal riots and see the comments of people like this- filled with such hatred, bloodthirstyness, ignorance and tolerance. 

 

Venkitesh and Kumar, I have no interest in entering into polemics with the likes of you or discussions with you. But try not to slime people, specially women. Hindus have a culture of respecting women, and should talk of them with respect, even if they don't agree with them. And there are many christians on this listserve - if the moderators had any sense, they would have banned the kind of language that you use against minorities long time back. And BTW, don't label me as a leftist or a communist, I am just an average Indian citizen with no particular ideological leaning, except that I want a peaceful, just India.

 

I am sure all this will fall on deaf ears.

 

Maybe the moderators should consider that if we were in a Bajrang Dal meeting or a VHP meeting, how much freedom of speech would be afforded to me. The moment Angana spoke out against them and their agenda, they have threatened to kill her and worse.  Do we need to afford the freedom of speech to fascists? Would you allow a representative of Al-Qaida a voice in this forum?

 

Regards

 

Kundan