The Hindu : National : `Nationalism is another word for Hindutva'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Aug 04, 2004

National

National

`Nationalism is another word for Hindutva'

By Neena Vyas

NEW DELHI, AUG. 3. Nationalism is just another word for Hindutva, the Bharatiya Janata Party said today while explaining away the absence of the word "Hindutva" from the "10-point Conclusion Document" produced after four days of deliberations its `chintan baithak' in Goa.

"Nationalism and development will be the party's twin mantra for the future," said the party vice-president and spokesperson, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, who was among the 30 leaders at the exclusive conclave.

During the six years of the Vajpayee Government, the Muslims, he claimed, had been brought into the "national mainstream," but the policies of the United Progressive Alliance Government, such as reservation based on religion, would have the opposite effect. The BJP would continue to try and win over the minorities and "correct the misinformation campaign" of the new Government.

"Again an atmosphere conducive to divisiveness (bikhrao) and separatism (algao) is being created and the BJP will fight against this," Mr. Naqvi said.

`Wrong impression'

"Others" had wrongly equated the BJP's Hindutva agenda with just three issues — the construction of a Ram temple at the disputed land in Ayodhya, the implementation of a uniform civil code and the abrogation of Article 370 that conferred special status on Jammu and Kashmir. Mr. Naqvi said this in response to questions on why the BJP had agreed to keep these issues on the backburner and outside the National Democratic Alliance's agenda for governance.

The claim was that the BJP had not given up Hindutva, which had a "broader meaning which was included in nationalism," but only some issues on which its alliance partners did not agree. Mr. Naqvi said that at the Goa meet, it had been decided that discipline would be enforced with an iron hand "beginning from the top."

A meeting of party leaders from Uttar Pradesh has been called here on August 7.

`Prices have gone up'

Mr. Naqvi said that after the presentation of the budget, the prices of many essential commodities had gone up, taking them out of the reach of the common man.

Today, the BJP launched a nationwide agitation against the rise in prices and the decisions of the UPA Government that had adversely affected the people.

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