The cat is finally out of the bag. After claiming on repeat that the ‘Dismantling Global Hindutva’ conference is against a political ideology and not a religion, a panelist has finally admitted she does not see any difference between Hindutva and Hinduism.
A panelist said on the first day of the conference, “I take Hindutva as political Hinduism, not a distortion of an older tradition but a continuation of it.” The theme of the discussion was ‘caste and its foundational status in Hinduism’. The panelist who made the comment was apparently Meena Dhanda.
Here, the panelist admits that she does not believe Hindutva is different from Hinduism and considers the former to be the political wing of the latter. She leaves no room for doubt with regards to its interpretation after she says Hindutva is not a ‘distortion’ of an older tradition but continuation of it. Quite clearly, the older tradition she refers to is Hinduism itself.
Thus, in context of ‘Dismantling Global Hindutva’, it is clearly an attack on Hinduism itself and it is Hinduism that the panelists seek to destroy. The writing has been on the wall ever since the panelists at the event were announced.
The panelists have a track record of making Hinduphobic comments. Despite the controversial nature of the panelists, the organisers claimed that it has nothing to do with hate against Hinduism. That, however, has proven to be demonstrably false.
The irony of the fact that the ‘Dismantling Global Hindutva’ is underway when the world remembers the 9/11 Islamic terror attack cannot be ignored as well. On hindsight, it appears that the dates were chosen carefully so that paranoia can be whipped up against Hindutva in the United States of America.
Their actions, including the symbolism behind the selection of dates for the conference, appear part of a well coordinated strategy of tarnishing the image of Hinduism in the West. While the organisers claim that it is against a political ideology, their panelists clearly believe different.