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Journalism of Courage
My friend from the VHP was defending Praveen Togadia8217;s infamous statement on Sonia Gandhi. He said, 8216;8216;Togadia owes no explanation to communists and pseudo-securalists who were in any case calling everyone the running dogs of imperialism.8217;8217;
Strolling inside Lodhi Garden in New Delhi with his dog in tow, the VHP man stared at his canine possession proudly. 8216;8216;He is well trained,8217;8217; he said. The dog did a pranam whenever he saw other dogs.
8216;8216;How,8217;8217; I asked, 8216;8216;have Hindus been responsible for their own mess?8217;8217;
8216;8216;Look at V P Singh. He was a Hindu but he divided us. And thanks to him we have become a minority in our own country.8217;8217; This was entirely new. I said, 8216;8216;Tell me more.8217;8217;
8216;8216;By introducing reservations for lower caste, he divided the Hindus into lower caste and upper caste.8217;8217; 8216;8216;You mean, he introduced the caste system,8217;8217; I asked.
8216;8216;The caste system existed but by introducing reservations in the caste system, he made sure Hindus were isolated.8217;8217; I countered, 8216;8216;You mean the upper caste.8217;8217;
8216;8216;Yes, we are the real Hindus and, thanks to the misguided Hindus, are in a real minority,8217;8217; argued my VHP friend. 8216;8216;I realised that it was the non-Hindus who were getting all the reservations in Tamil Nadu. There were backwards who were getting top jobs, untouchability had been sought to be abolished, the so-called atrocities against Dalits were being publicised8230; What is the world coming to?8217;8217;
8216;8216;You mean your real fight is for us and we don8217;t realise it,8217;8217; I said. He replied, 8216;8216;Even the NDA Government is pushing for reforms instead of swadeshi, succumbing to Bush and appeasing every pseudo-secularist.8217;8217;
The VHP man had his own definition of Musharraf8217;s Muslim: 8216;8216;Anyone opposed to the VHP is Musharraf8217;s Muslim. It is Vaghela in Gujarat, Mulayam Singh in UP and Sonia Gandhi in the rest of the country.8217;8217;
At that precise moment, a pack of dogs, all Yorkshire terriers, attacked my friend8217;s pet but despite the snarling, the VHP desi dog was not getting provoked. 8216;8216;See how tolerant he is compared to dogs belonging to other faiths,8217;8217; said my friend proudly.
Trying to change the subject, I asked, 8216;8216;Hasn8217;t the BJP and the Prime Minister in particular attacked the VHP for its provocative statements? 8216;8216;We are aware of the pressures on the PM, these are the compulsions of power. Once he8217;s out of power he will see reason. We are convinced he is a good Hindu at heart, but we will not be underdogs and sacrifices have to be made for a larger cause,8217;8217; argued the VHP leader.
At that precise moment, my friend8217;s dog, who had been docile all along, struggled out of its leash and raced towards its own larger cause8212;a starving desi stray who looked Indian in every way.
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