This article was first published in the print edition of Manushi Journal. (Issue-79, Nov-Dec 1993)
The Sangh parivar poses a grave threat to the Indian polity and society, not so much because it mixes religion and politics, but because it resorts to criminal acts. For instance, had the BJP-VHP-RSS, Bajrang Dal and company stopped at the demolition of the Babri mosque in Ayodhya and proceeded to celebrate their victory through aarti and bhajan (devotional songs), more peope might have accepted their claim that they were motivated by religious sentiment.
The deposed and recently murdered mahant of the Ram janamsthan mandir, Baba Lal Das, openly stated in various interviews that none of the VHP leaders even came to pray or made any offerings at the Ram temple during this period. Lal Das alleged that after demolishing the Babri Masjid, the VHP cadres barged into the Ram Lalla mandir, looted the cash box containing a month’s offerings and stole ancient idols worth several crores. According to the late Lal Das, they even stole the original, ancient Ram Lalla idol and replaced it with a fake one…