Ranjona Banerji, who keeps showing up on the DNA off and on, infuriates me no end. In her latest article, she spews venom on her pet-hate - "Hindutvawadis".
The article is full of holes - which I have tried to rebut below (my comments in saffron colour). I have also emailed the same to her so that she can see some flaws in her thinking. I hope she doesnt treat it as hate-mail since I have only responded in her own language.
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History is not an excuse for Carnage!
It is true that Mahmood of Ghazni arrived in India and went through the land with sword and fire. He also raided the Somnath Temple many times. There. I said it.
How obliging!
The only problem is that Ghazni died in 1030 AD.
So?
This does not affect me personally, so it is not that kind of a problem. The problem is that I find myself unable to understand the logic that connects his excesses to explain why it is somehow okay for Muslims to be burnt to death in Andhra Pradesh in 2008.
Probably the same logic that people like you use while justifying reservations with the argument that the OBCs were discriminated against for thousands of years.
It is true that Mahmood of Ghazni arrived in India and went through the land with sword and fire. He also raided the Somnath Temple many times. There. I said it.
How obliging!
The only problem is that Ghazni died in 1030 AD.
So?
This does not affect me personally, so it is not that kind of a problem. The problem is that I find myself unable to understand the logic that connects his excesses to explain why it is somehow okay for Muslims to be burnt to death in Andhra Pradesh in 2008.
Probably the same logic that people like you use while justifying reservations with the argument that the OBCs were discriminated against for thousands of years.
And so, now, I feel the wrath of the “majority community” or the Hindutva brigade, in other words. “Do you have the guts to write about Muslims being terrorists?” All right, here you are: There are Muslims who are terrorists and terrorists who are Muslim.
Okay, now that you have said it, can you pinpoint exactly which Muslim is a terrorist? If you can’t, why don’t you allow security forces to do their job without screeching about “human rights” at the slightest hint of an innocent person getting called for interrogation? Obviously, since the terrorists do not come with the brand written on their forehead, there are bound to be some investigations done before going directly and picking up the right man!
Could you please now tell me the logic that connects some Muslims being terrorists to a family of six Muslims being burnt to death in Bhainsa, Adilabad district, Andhra Pradesh? The fight in Bhainsa was something to do with Dassera versus Eid celebrations. Now I get it.
So you got it? It was nothing to do with terrorism. That fight might have been due to some routine logistic related issue which unfortunately got blown out of proportion? Why do you guys jump at the slightest provocation to pounce on Hindutva?
When Hindus and Muslims collide, the Muslims get burnt to death because Mahmood of Ghazni ransacked Somnath several times between 1024 to 1026, because Muslims in pre-Independent India partitioned the country and because Kashmiri pandits were driven out of Kashmir by militancy — also by Muslims.
What a pack of lies! When Hindus and Muslims collide, it is NOT JUST MUSLIMS WHO DIE, EVEN HINDUS DIE! Let us get that fact cleared first! You guys conveniently ignore the number of Hindus who die in each communal riot!
Secondly, isn’t it true that India was partitioned by Muslims and the Kashmiri pandits were driven out from Kashmir by Muslims. What are the Hindus supposed to do, according to you? Write more anti-Hindu articles in DNA like you do?
And I’m supposed to believe that all this justifies, in no uncertain terms, that 2000 Muslims were brutally killed in Gujarat in 2002? Oh, now I know what I’m going to hear: who threw the first stone? If Godhra had not happened and the rest of the Hindutva rant.
Oh, how convenient, once again! When it was Mahmood Ghazni, you want to forget it. When it was Godhra being the “first stone”, you want to ignore! No history lessons here! But when terrorist attack after terrorist attack takes place, you want to blame the insecurity among Muslim youth on account of the 2002 Gujarat riots! History in full force here! How nice!
Well, how about this? What happened in Godhra is not clear, the recent report of the Nanavati commission notwithstanding.
Why? Just because he has exonerated your pet hate figure? Justice Nanavati is not a Modi-stooge. He was appointed by the Supreme Court of India. If you want to disregard the Supreme Court Judge, it only shows your respect for the judiciary! If you guys are so sure that Modi did it, why haven’t you been able to put him behind bars yet? Isn’t the Teesta Setalvad – Harsh Mander- Prof Bandukwala – Anu Aga – Nandita Das – brigade strong enough, not to mention all the international big bucks and lobbyists at the US, who have successfully blocked Modi’s visa for so many years?
Worse, how do the deaths of 59 people — horrible though they were — justify large-scale rioting and the deaths of 2000 people who had nothing to do with the Godhra attack?
Probably, just like you guys justify every terrorist attack since 2002 and blame it on the 2002 Gujarat riots! You want us to forget Mahmood of Ghazni, but you will not let Muslims forget Babri Masjid demolition!
And even stranger, why did the Hindutva parties, so ready to stand up and fight when their cock-eyed version of Hinduism is attacked, do nothing to help the victims of the Godhra attack?
What do you really know about what has been done? Any proof?
Why did the father of some of the victims of S6 of the Sabarmati Express come out and attack the Narendra Modi government for itsindifference?
What is the difference here? Arent victims of all terrorist attacks always grumbling that the Government has not done enough for them? Nothing new here! The point is larger!
No, we’re not allowed to talk about all that. We’re not allowed to talk about the recent brutal and disgusting attacks on Christians and Muslims by Hindutva mobs, because by doing so, we are being anti-Hindu.
As if you will stop talking! The point is that the Christian attacks in Orissa are not really being orchestrated by the Hindutvavadis in the form of the Bajrang Dal, but is actually a inter-tribal rivalry between the Kandhas and the Pandas. Of course, you will ignore this fact as it will blow your propoganda to smithereens!
This insult is so bad, that we must, to avoid it, ignore all the atrocities done by the Sangh Parivar. That way, we become good Hindus, even if we have never read the Bhagvad Gita or believe in karma or the transmigration of souls.
Oh no! We become good Hindus by running down other Hindus who protest against terrorism, forcible conversions and vote-bank minority politics!
All that stuff is not Hinduism. Hinduism is whatever Praveen Togadia or some random illiterate says at any point in time.
Yes, Dr.Praveen Togadia is illiterate, but Ranjona Banerji is perfectly qualified to speak on behalf of all Hindus!
Hindus, incidentally, according to this Hindutva theory, only believe in Hindutva and only feel disgusted when Hindus die.
Not at all! In fact, as per the Hindutva theory, Hindus feel disgusted when anyone dies. It is only pseudo-secular leaders who feel disgusted only when non-Hindus die. For e.g. when Churches are attacked in India and European countries make noises, our PM says that this is a shame! But when Hindu temples are burnt in Malaysia, our PM says that this is an internal issue of Malaysia!
However, they do not feel so bad when lower caste Hindus die and that is why there were no Hindutva-led riots when members of the Bhotmange family of Khailanji were massacred. They were Dalits. Hindutva does not know what to do with Dalits.
It has now been proved that the Bhotmange massacre has nothing to with caste, it was a fight between two families blown out of proportion! By the way, the perpetrators of this ghastly crimes were not upper caste Hindus but OBCs, a fact which is cleverly concealed by the pseudo-secular Hindu-hating media!
The question which Hindutva does not answer is what about those of us — regardless of our faiths or the faiths we were born into or the faiths we may have acquired ourselves — who object to what is going on because we are Indians, who owe allegiance to the Republic of India first?
You can owe allegiance to the Republic of India without ignoring the atrocities on Hindus, cant you? Why must you tolerate Islamic terrorism? Why must you tolerate forcible conversions by Christians? Why must you tolerate pseudo-secular politicians saying that minorities have the first right to resources in India?
Or those of us who think killing is wrong, regardless of whether it is by Hindus or Muslims or Christians or anybody?
Yes, why do you exclude us, the Hindutvawadi’s from this tribe? Even we do not want killing!
Indians who do not narrowly limit our definition of ourselves to instructions from a political party? Indians who are willing to discuss our faults and limitations and not mistake that discussion for one more assault by Mahmood of Ghazni (dead since 1030)?
Political parties or their ideologies would flourish only if they articulate a feeling of a sizeable section of the populace! Nobody can take people for a ride!
George Santayana said that those who forget history are condemned to repeat it. What could you say to those who distort their history or never understood it in the first place?
Where is the distortion? Why do you want to deny that Islamic rulers have for centuries plundered India and subjugated Hindus? Why do you want to deny the Goa inquisition? I can understand minorities trying to denigrate Hindutva because it makes them insecure about all the goodies given by them in the form of reservations and other dole-outs by pseudo-secular governments. But whats in it for so-called Hindus like you to wish that Hindus remain subjugated forever? What is the benefit for you? I have asked this question to so many of your tribe, no one has been able to answer this!
