VPP opposes Bhagwat’s claim that all people living in India are Hindus

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaSeptember 28, 2022

The Voice of the People Party (VPP) on Tuesday asserted the need to oppose any attempt to create division in the society in the name of religion.

“…let us oppose any attempt to create division in the society, in the name of religion. Let us not look at each other through the prism of religion, and instead strive to maintain the unity of this great country,” VPP chief and former Nongkrem legislator Ardent Miller Basaiawmoit said in a statement.

He was reacting to the statement made by the RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat that all people living in India are Hindus.

“The statement made by RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat that we are all Hindus, since we are together in Bharat is more than meets the eye. One should be able to read between the lines, what this statement actually means? If one tries to properly analyze the statement, one would conclude that his statement is directed at Christianity,” Basaiawmiot said.

“Firstly, he wants to say that the indigenous tribals of the State were originally Hindus, but were converted to Christianity. Secondly, he is also trying to create a division among the indigenous people by his statement. Thirdly, he also tries to convince the indigenous people of the state, that their traditional faith is no different from Hindu religion,” he added.

Stating that Bhagwat’s statement cannot be taken lightly, the former MLA said, “It is incumbent upon the indigenous people to be very careful and alert, and not to be misled by such baseless and unfounded statements.”

He said it must be remembered that even before the advent of Christianity, the indigenous people practiced their traditional faith which is very different from Hindu religion.

The indigenous tribes worship a living god, and are not idol worshippers. Therefore, indigenous tribal religion cannot be compared to Hinduism by any stretch of imagination.

“As Christian myself, I never claimed that Meghalaya is a Christian State, because faith or religion is a personal, and had nothing to do with the State or a community,” he said while adding that it is also unconstitutional to state  that Meghalaya is a Christian State or that India is a Hindu country.