'Bharat is the core value that has to be lived by and if you deny it, then the people will discard you.'
When he witnessed the pran pratishtha in Ayodhya on January 22, it was the culmination of a lifelong dream for Tarun Vijay, former editor of the RSS weekly Panchjanya and a former Bharatiya Janata Party member of the Rajya Sabha.
The Hindu Right ideologue has been espousing the cause of the Ram temple when it had few takers.
The Ram temple poses no threat to India's secularism, or to the religious minorities, Tarun Vijay tells Saisuresh Sivaswamy/Rediff.com. The first of a two-part interview.
What explains the religious outpouring we see in Ayodhya over the Ram temple?
The Hindu world, across the country, across continents, celebrated one single event, the consecration of Lord Ram's temple.
There has never been a celebration ever in the memory of the Hindu people, that has seen such an outburst, a spectacular show, where millions of people in various countries, in India's every corner from Arunachal Pradesh to Okha and and Ladakh to Kanyakumari.
They were one in celebrating the arrival of Sri Ram Lalla in Ayodhya. Whether it was Germany or Shanghai, or Dubai, or the USA or Europe, we were all one in one moment. And that moment brought tears of joy in the eyes of the millions.
It was as if the soul of Bharat had woken up. And now, the march of India towards prosperity and development, for the welfare and kalyan of the universe, is unstoppable as per the Rig Vedic concept that all the people on this Earth must feel happy, joyous, healthy, prosperous, and working towards the path of god, whichever path they believe in.
But all Sarva deva namaskaram keshavam prati gachati (the worship of any divinity ultimately leads to the Supreme Being), that was the great message given to the world.
Can we draw the conclusion that Hindu Rashtra is now a reality?
No, sir. This is the rashtra of Hindus as well as all those who believe in compassion, togetherness, who believe in the Vedic concept of Sangat chatvam, samvadadhvam, samvo manamsi janatam (May you move in harmony, speak in one voice; let your minds be in agreement). All religious groups, across borders, and no one was denied entry.
The rashtra is having its soul in Sanatan Dharma. As Sri Aurobindo had predicted, Sanatan Dharma is the soul of this nation. The Vedas were produced and the message of Vasudev Kutumbakam was given by those who espoused the principles of Sanatan Dharma. This is a Sanatan Rashtra, with eternal values for a changing society.
We never believed in a theocratic society.
We never believed in a theocratic State.
Nobody in the nation's living memory has created that, it's a Semitic concept. But only Asoka's rule was Buddhist, not a single rule in India was every theocratic, it's Islamic, or the Church of England, or the Bible for the American president.
But not in India. India believes in Vasudev Kutumbakam and Sarva Dharma Samabhav.
What was the political message from the prime minister's temple inauguration?
Political message is that in India you have to respect the soil of India, its soul of India, denying the core values of Bharat Varsh. Don't rule India like the viceroys, or like a Mughal emperor, rule India like an Indian ruler will do.
Those who said they are secular have proved themselves to be the worst kind of believers in ideological apartheid. I and like me thousands of people have been victims of their ideological apartheid.
Rediff was the only channel available to us in the last 30 years, when I was working for Panchjanya. And for those of us who worked in Panchjanya, all doors were closed. This was discrimination.
We don't believe in these kinds of things, we believe that we, Bharatiyas, work for Bharat and work for Bharat's future.
Bharat is the core value that has to be lived by us and if you deny it, and bring the Semitic concept like a British emperor, then the people will discard you.
It's the people's support that Narendra Modi and Yogi Adityanath, and the RSS had received in the last several years that has resulted in the realisation of the dream of the people of India.
Those who denied the dreams and the aspirations and the core values of Bharat, they are rejected by the people of India. This is the message.
There have been concerns expressed over the prime minister performing religious duties in a secular State.
Sir, this is a national celebration. Babar did not demolish a temple. He demolished the soul and symbol of India's independence. Like if the Statue of Liberty was demolished by Osama bin Laden, what will the American people do? They will resurrect it.
It is a resurrection of India's glory.
It is a resurrection of India's pride.
It is a resurrection of India's honour.
It's more than religious. Ayodhya represents the core values of Bharat Varsh.
Like Tyagaraja, M S Subbulakshmi.
The Somnath temple was resurrected by Sardar Patel and Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru opposed it. The Nehruvian concepts are now rejected by the people of India and it's the spirit of Somnath and the spirit of Ayodhya that gives power to the development, progress and new future for Bharat Varsh.
Feature Presentation: Ashish Narsale/Rediff.com
