3 cheers to Koenraad Elst. He is always right
The BJP lost because it was trying to be secular by abandoning Hindutva. Thus spake Elst and he is right.
I must confess. I am a big fan of Koenraad Elst. Now Elst is not a legendary figure. He is stout with a big beard and a hearty laugh. I had the privilege of meeting and shaking hands with him — a moment that I cherish forever.
What I liked about Elst is his incisive perception and uncanny understanding of Hindusthan — something which most Hindus do not have. I have a feeling that Elst is more Hindu than a Belgian Catholic to which he belongs.
To all those who don’t know Elst. Koenraad Elst was born in Belgium. He was a born Christian. But he grew up to be a Hippie. He abandoned his home, education, career and began travelling as a New Age freak. He realised the hollowness of the new age movement. He later travelled India and China studying its philosophy. He came to Benares Hindu University where he stumbled upon Ram Swarup and Sitaram Goel (Voice of India Publications). The rest is history.
Elst has written several books. However, his classic is — Negationism in India, Decolonising Hindu Mind and Who is a Hindu. You may read it in his website — http://koenraadelst.voiceofdharma.com/book.html
As for BJP’s defeat, read his views here
http://www.dailypioneer.com/177112/BJP-apes-Congress-fails.html
Elst says that the BJP failed because the BJP had abandoned Hindutva and was trying to be secular like the Congress. I agree completely with Elst. When BJP was in power, it abandoned Ayodhya, it refused to talk about it. And when election nears, they beat the Hindutva trumpet. Now, do you think voters are such fools. It’s high time that the BJP sticks to its core ideology. Abandoning it is abandoning hopes. Elst is right as usual. Three cheers to our favourite firangi Hindu.
-----Email: greathindu@in.com
Fascist Trends in Indian Media
May 29th, 2009 at 9:43 am
My apologies to all Great Hindu readers for not writing frequently. I was busy travelling. However, I now promise to write at least once a week. I received several email from my readers who were concerned about my absence. I am really touched by your response.
Yours ever in service of Hindu Internationalism
Deepak Kamat
June 2nd, 2009 at 5:02 pm
Mistake to rely solely on the BJP to carry the banner of Hindutva. We have seen the number the liberal media did on the BJP even with its moderate platform.
It is upto the 80% Hindu voters to help shape that mature plaftform of Hindutva that Elst is talking about.
There are all sorts of brilliant thinkers on the Hindutva side, not to mention the footsoldiers. These should carry the burden of fanning out to the country and explain the Hindutva platform.
In my opinion, the BJP should concentrate on good governance, being a loyal opposition, criticising the Congress when need arises etc.
Meanwhile, they have done a politically savvy thing in appointing an OBC as Deputy Speaker
June 2nd, 2009 at 6:27 pm
“Mistake to rely solely on the BJP to carry the banner of Hindutva. We have seen the number the liberal media did on the BJP even with its moderate platform.”
@ Vijaya
You might want to do some googling regarding the so called “secular media” of India. Prannoy Roy’s full name is Prannoy James Roy and NDTV gets funding from evangelical churches, that is why Mr. James Roy is silent about the massacres of Kashmiri Hindus and those from Pakistan.Mr. Rajdeep Sardesai’s channel CNN-IBN gets funding from the Southern Baptist church, and that is why he is anti-Hindu. India Today was bought by NDTV recently, and it has turned as well.
@Deepak
Please do update the blog more frequently. There are more people reading up on the truth.
June 2nd, 2009 at 8:25 pm
@ H,
I was travelling. So could not catch up with the latest events. But I will continue to frequently update the blog. I know it is a need of the hour.
June 6th, 2009 at 5:48 pm
It is true that BJP has abondoned hindutva. Even in UPA, communists never abdicated communism. Takiing help of UPA, Communists could topple the Hindu state in Nepal and install communists state.
The new entrants to BJP in the wake of elections were bereft of any ideolgy. They were hardcode politicians. Take Sangma. Though he stood on principles, he had to bow before christian evangelical power.
It is strategic mistake to project BJP as political face of Hidutva. Let us awake and replace.
July 1st, 2009 at 7:14 pm
Deepak
Glad you introduced K Elst to your readers. He is certainly the one to awaken the kshatriya in the slumbering Indian minds.
Also, in the US we have Rajiv Malhotra. A true pioneer in terms of taking on the academic establishments of the west that continues to propagate the much-maligned Aryan Invasion Theory for reasons we all know well. There is so much disinformation about Hinduism, no wonder some of these ignorants think we are the products of savage cult. I would recommend your readers to visit http://www.invadingthesacred.com
Keep up the good work you are doing to awaken the public about the forces that are forever trying to destroy the most inclusive society in the world. Thanks.
July 2nd, 2009 at 6:46 am
I’m so glad I discovered your blog, Deepak. Post-May 16th, most of the earlier right-wing political blogs that I used to frequent, have either turned left or gone completely cold! Therefore, discovery of this site was a much needed oxygen for me!
Anyways, coming to the point about BJP’s loss, yes, I have read Elst’s excellent article and completely agree with it. I do not understand why is it so difficult to understand such a logical thing. This psec mafia want the BJP to shed its core ideology and increasingly start appearing like a Congress clone. If that does happen, atleast between the two, I would go for the original (i.e. the Congress). Why bother about the clone?
Frankly, the BJP has failed me. While in Govt. they lost their way completely. Okay, grant them that it was not a BJP Govt but a NDA one. But even in the Opposition, they kept running around like headless chickens. Despite effectively abandoning Hindutva, most of their allies have dumped them. That just proves that it is not Hindutva which is preventing BJP from attracting or retaining allies, but sheer political ineptitude. Didnt the same BJP with a stronger Hindutva image in 1998-99 attract so many allies?
The other point is, the BJP is behaving like a political party which wants to come to power at any cost. Even if the cost is – dump the core ideology. The last thing we want for Hindutva is a political vehicle for career politicians – for whom power is ultimate. Even if a small minority want Hindutva ideology to remain an influencing force in the country, there has to be a credible political vehicle to carry this through, regardless of the “flavour of the month”. The BJP is clearly not providing this ideological space to the electorate. The fact that there can even be an debate within the BJP about Hindutva is worrisome. The agenda appears to be – power at any cost – not, filling up the right side of the politico-ideological spectrum.
In contrast, the Left’s approach is really admirable. Yes, they too are nursing their wounds. But I do not see them questioning their core ideology.
If such an attitude continues, I am afraid the BJP will wither away – not strengthen, like how some of its psec advisors are advocating.
July 7th, 2009 at 10:08 am
@ Ravindra,
Left or Right. That’s best for the west.
In India, it is Hindu or anti-Hindu.
July 8th, 2009 at 9:08 pm
The downward trend of BJP has already begun & it will defenitely go into the dustbins of Indian history becasue no party can flourish if it hates majority of Indians be they hindus, muslims, christians, communists, athesits or whatever system one is adhered to. The BJP and its patron RSS hates all those who do not subsribe to their way of thinking, their programs and policies or anybody who shows the honesty to point out the foolish claims of RSS. If BJP wants to get again into the mainstream of Indian society, they have to shed their prejudices and inject young blood into the organisation who don’t mind severing the ties with RSS, the no. 1 enemy of India.
July 10th, 2009 at 5:48 am
Sibi, Why are you smoking again? I told you not to.
Pakistan with al-queda is NO. 1
Christian Terrorists led by Sonia is No. 2
July 10th, 2009 at 1:30 pm
Hi mom, Sonia is the greatest leader of India as of today and she enjoys the support of the majority of indians , even our Prime Minister listen to her. The barking dogs of RSS don’t have the capacity to bite her.
July 22nd, 2009 at 3:59 pm
Take this
(1) Islam is based on the hallucinations of one man.
(2) Christ was a bastard. He was born when his mother had not married his biological father. So Christianity is a religion of bastards.
This is the only religion which tells its followers to think and pray, “I am a sinner. Jesus died for my sins.” What bullshit.
The conversion mongering Christians say, “Jesus is our saviour.” Dear bretheren, how will this so called Son of God of yours save you when he could not save himself. He is himself hung—jo khud latka hua hai woh dusron ko kya bachayega.
See our Hindu Gods and demi-Gods. When one looks at them standing smiling with their weapons, one feels reassured that they will protect us (on one condition, though, God helps those who help themselves). Rama with his bow-and-arrow, Krishna with his Sudarshan Chakra, Kali riding a tiger with her weapons and so on.
September 16th, 2009 at 1:16 am
I completely agree with this analysis. The BJP has to get back to its core Hindutva ideology and start to aggressively reach out to people with their ideology, regardless of what our pseudo secular media says. If they do this, people will support them in large numbers, as they did 3 elections back. The dangers of not proactively propogating our ideology is that otherwise the secular media will always supress the truth, as has happened in the case of the recent Ganesh Chaturthi riots in Miraj (most media did not mention that the riots were started by muslims because they took offence to an arch depicting Shivaji Maharaj killing aurangazeb).
The BJP coming to power is absolutely vital to preserve the essence if Indianness, as we know it now, and to ensure that our liberal and tolerant way of life continues unhindered. Should the congress continue for a longer time, islamic terrorism will probably make us Hindus wary of celebrating our festivals in our own country (as happens with the Amarnath Yatra).