Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday appealed to Hindus to remain united and learn lessons from Bangladesh, where minority Hindus are facing atrocities. Yogi, in his typical style, said, “Ek Rahengey, Toh Nek Rahengey, Batengey Toh Katengey” (If we remain united, everything will be fine, if we remain divided, we will be destroyed). Yogi’s message is clear. No country, except India, raised its voice against the atrocities committed on Hindu minorities in Bangladesh. Even the United States, which normally comments on minor incidents in India, has not been vocal. Many Hindus were brutally killed, their homes and shops looted and set on fire and Hindu temples were vandalized in Bangladesh by Islamic fundamentalists.
These incidents are heart rending. Countries which had been raising their voice in support of Palestine, are silent on the issue of Bangladesh. Yogi’s message was: if Hindus and others remain silent on what happened in Bangladesh, if Hindus remain divided among themselves in the name of castes, then Bharat will never become strong. The sad part is that most of the political parties in our country did not react, as they should, over the atrocities perpetrated on Hindus in Bangladesh. This could be because of their fear that raising their voice in support of Bangladeshi Hindus could cost them votes of minorities in India. The head of Bangladesh interim government Mohammed Yunus has only offered lip sympathy to Hindus, but nothing was done on the ground to protect Hindus. Islamic fundamentalists, led by Jamaat-e-Islami, have reared their heads after the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s government. Islamic jihadists are openly intimidating Hindu families and forcing them to leave their homes. Presently, most of the Hindus are living in a state of fear in Bangladesh.
They could not celebrate Janmashtami on Monday, as they used to in previous years. This was because of fear of attacks from Islamic jihadists. For example, the ISKCON temple in Meharpur used to organize a fabulous Janmashtami celebration every year, but on Monday, there was eerie silence inside the temple premises. The temple had been attacked and set on fire by jihadists. Twenty days after the attack, nothing has changed. Only one priest was present inside the burnt temple premises. The chief priest of ISKCON temple Sumohan Das sent an emotional message to all saying, “Hindus in Bangladesh are living in fear, we have not received any help from the government, hence we are unable to celebrate Janmashtami, we appeal to all Hindus across the world to raise their voice for us.” It is, in this context, that Yogi Adityanath’s appeal to Hindus gains significance.
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