Cholas Not Hindus? Kamal Haasan a Politician, Needs to Stay Relevant; Can't Compare PFI to RSS: Gurumurthy

S Gurumurthy, editor of Thuglak and co-convener of Swadeshi Jagran Manch, in an interview with CNN-News18, said he pitied the discourse that Cholas were not Hindus.

When asked about actor Kamal Haasan’s statement that there was no Hindu religion during the period, he said: “I pity such discourse. Those saying it are rabble-rousers and attention-seekers? Kamal Haasan is politician. Needs to stay relevant.”

ON HINDU BASHING

On the tendency of Hindu bashing, he said, “There is a historical background to this. There is an alignment between India and Hinduism. It is being denied in contemporary politics. In 1908, when Mahatma Gandhi wrote the ?Hind Swaraj?, he defined India’s unity, integrity and relationship between people in terms of char dhaams, places of worship and Ganga in a way no two Englishmen are united?The book was banned. He refused to change his views even in 1940…It was fundamental to his thinking.”

“In 1935, Nehru wrote ?Glimpses of World History?. He said there is thin difference between Hinduism and India and Hindu nationalism and Indian nationalism. Swami Vivekananda’s nationalism was not against any religion and even Nehru accepted it…Even a communist like Rajani Palme Dutt, who wrote the book, ?India Today?, said even without English education, India would have got the spirit of independence from the Vedas.”

“Post-Independence, Nehru gave it up. He said there is no communalism in India, there is only Hindu communalism, which is more dangerous than aggressive Muslim communalism. He branded Hinduism as sectarian area, which was till 1940 the soul of India. The liberal, secular vote-hungry politics has to deny it.”

ON LIBERALS

“Hinduism was always bashed. It is news because Hindu viewpoint is becoming dominant. Many are intellectually unemployed so there is a powerful attack on the Hindu character of India. Hindu character is not theological, it is philosophical. Philosophy accepts other viewpoints, unlike theology. We had the tarkashastra, purvapaksha…Because of which we never saw street violence….the most intolerant ideology of the liberals. They just have to deny all traditions…They were promoted by the establishment.”

ON TAMIL NADU POLITICS

“It is not the Tamil Nadu of the 1960s and 70s. Their polity and society were anti-Hindu. Now it has changed. Today, the society has changed, netas are playing catch-up. When DMK ministers are talking against Hinduism, their families are participating in Hindu rituals? The Dravidian ideology is like a pack of cards. It is sustaining on lung power… Mark my words, the change on ground will be visible soon.”

ON PFI-RSS COMPARISON

Commenting on the comparison between RSS and Popular Front of India, he said: “There is no comparison between the two. The PFI was formed by those who left SIMI, who in fact came from the Islamic State. The PFI originates out of the idea to ?Break India?, not just work for Muslims. The RSS was made by a patriot. The RSS strives for a ‘United India’. It was to make Hindu unity the backbone of India.”

SHOULD GOVT FREE TEMPLES?

“The government must get out of temples. It is not the job of a secular entity. Hindus must get ready to manage them. We need to get out of the ?government owns temples’ mentality. It has to be a calibrated process over 5-10 years.”

ON INDIA VIEW

“No nation talks about the world. Every nation peddles it view. No American has a world view, it is American view. Every country thinks for itself. Only in India, liberals have a world view, which has nothing to do with India. Many Indians don?t have an India view. We embrace what others say as world view? The homegrown thought of Hindu character needs to be spread…India view is inclusive, needs to be communicated.”

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