It is time for the rest of the Hindus to stand up and claim their rightful place in the philosophy of Gandhiji and other and NOT under Sarvarkar or RSS types.

The BJP, who they say is interested in propagating the Hindu thought is guilty of hypocrisy and self denial when it discriminates between country-men on the basis of religion.

Icons and ideology drives organization. But BJP projecting Sardar Patel as its non-secular icon is ridiculous. Sardar Patel was a congress icon even before the BJP came into being. Can two contesting parties have the same icon? Perhaps they can, but one party cannot change the personality of an icon so as to make him fit into its own present ideology. Both Sardar Patel and Nehru were firm believers in democracy and secularism.They differed only on the economic front: Patel believed in free markets, whereas Nehru believed in economic policies where more weight age was given to state control of economy.

If BJP believes in earnestly serving the nation by using the age old wisdom and knowledge of the Hindus, they can do so only by upholding secularism. Without secularism, I cannot think of any Hindu personality who can be made an icon of BJP. In that case BJP will have to look towards India’s western neighbors. As taught by Gandhiji and other seers of India, we are believers and secularism for us is not equal contempt for all religions, but equal respect and reverence for all religions.

bye,
Jaydeepsinh

KEEP UP SIR.

Jayant Nanavati