VHP Leader on Rath Yatra, US Remarks and UCC Debate
Mumbai, October 22: Shriraj Nair, national spokesperson of the Vishva Hindu Parishad, has made a series of statements covering the Sanatan Ekta Rath Yatra of Bageshwar Dham, foreign involvement in India's internal affairs, and the Friday holiday issue in madrasas.
Nair offered backing to the proposed Sanatan Ekta Rath Yatra, which will travel from Lucknow to Ayodhya. He said it is Bageshwar Baba's fifth padyatra and that many Hindu followers and devotees are joining it. He reiterated that Bageshwar Baba has taken a vow to fight drug addiction, end Naxalism, and act against love jihad and land jihad, while confronting forces hostile to Hindus. The VHP, he said, fully supports these aims and wishes the yatra success.
On the remarks of US Foreign Minister Marco Rubio, who called the protests in Delhi an internal matter of India and dismissed the views of UN experts, Nair said the stance was welcome. He pointed out that India is an independent republic and the world's largest democracy, capable of handling its own internal developments. According to him, no external power should interfere in India's internal matters or offer unnecessary comments.
Nair also addressed the movement demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. He said it is for the Government of India to take cognizance of related developments. He welcomed the US Foreign Minister's decision to refrain from commenting on the issue.
Turning to Uttarakhand, Nair supported Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami's remarks on the Friday holiday in madrasas. If government schools, colleges and other institutions observe Sunday as a holiday, he said, madrasas should also have their holiday on Sunday. A state, he argued, should not maintain different criteria for different institutions.
He also referred to the Uniform Civil Code implemented in Uttarakhand, saying the VHP and Bajrang Dal back the Chief Minister's position. Nair further stated that India should not have different laws for different communities and that the Uniform Civil Code should be enforced across the country, as it is connected to the constitutional spirit of equality.