Facing flak for the open calls for the genocide of minorities at the three-day hate speech conclave in Haridwar, controversial Hindutva leader Yati Narsinghanand took to social media on Friday, 24 December, to justify his stance and went on to make some more venomous comments about the minority community and Mahatma Gandhi.
He had organised the Dharam Sansad conclave from 17 to 19 December in Uttarakhand's pilgrimage city of Haridwar, where multiple calls to kill minorities and attack their religious spaces were made. Videos of several speeches made during the event surface online subsequently.
"Some people are calling this hate speech. They believe in what Duryodhana did, that his methods were peaceful," he said during a Youtube live session organised by Swami Amritanand on Friday.
"When the Pandavas fought back, and Lord Krishna educated them in what is now the Bhagavad Gita, now if you ask these hypocrites, they will say that Lord Krishna gave a hate speech. He had encouraged Arjun to kill the Kauravas. It is the responsibility of everyone in this world that they protect their religion and people," he added.
'People Trying to Defame Us Through Their Propaganda'
"I am not giving a hate speech. If you find even a single thing that I have said is false, then hang me! I am saying the same thing to all the Maulanas. Let's meet and debate. If you find we are wrong, you don't cut our heads. We will do it ourselves....," he added.
"We have to continue working and accept whatever we get in the process, be it insult, pain. Even if we are murdered, we will consider that as our sacrifice," he further said.
Meanwhile, Swami Amritanand, too, justified Yati Narsinghanand's speech and said, "People are saying that Swamiji is giving hate speech out there, inciting people, asking for riots. However, from what I have understood, Swamiji is only saying what Lord Krishna did and said, what Lord Ram did...from what I have read in the scriptures and heard from my teachers."
Asks Hindus To Fight Their Own Battles
In what seemed nothing short of a brainwashing exercise, Yati Narsinghanand further said that no one would help a person who spoke in favour of Hindus.
"Speak in favour of Muslims, and you will see many people come forward to help them. There is no one to help Hindus. Hence, a Hindu person feels afraid. Hindus have been cheated. However, if a Muslim commits theft, rape, cow theft and if he is murdered, then the media starts crying and makes a lot of noise over the same. Their politicians and organisations stand with them. They believe that committing murder is their fundamental right,' he said.
"A Hindu does not know or understand their truth. We are just pointing out the reality and are blessed to be doing so. It's good now that Hindus are waking up to reality," he added.
'Gandhi Was a Pile of Garbage': Yati Narsinghanand
Yati Narsinghanand then launched an attack on Mahatma Gandhi and expressed support for his killer, Nathuram Godse.
"I treat Godse like a God. We are alive because of him. He died for us," he said.
Calling Gandhi a 'pile of garbage' and a 'liar', he said because of Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru's treachery, Hindus did not have space to call India their home despite being 100 crore in number.
Yati Narsinghanand then went on to call Gandhi a traitor for Hinduism, India, and the community, claiming that he was secretly a "Muslim who became Hindu".
He then continued with his hate-spewing and questioned why anyone would want to tread the difficult path taken by Vinayak Damodar Savarkar when they could go the Gandhi way.
Swami Amritanand Attacks Media, Calls For Boycott
Meanwhile, Swami Amritanand attacked the media, saying it has played a key role in destroying the country. "They only work for money or TRPs...even the ones who pretend to be supporters of Hinduism. So we must boycott mainstream media."
Before ending the live session, Swami Amritanand asked for donations to support their movement to save the country and the Hindu religion.
Two More Persons Booked in Haridwar Hate Speech Case
Meanwhile, two more persons were booked in the Haridwar hate speech case, the police said on Saturday, 25 December.
The names of Annapurna Maa alias Pooja Shakun Pandey, who is the 'Mahamandleshwar' of the Niranjini Akhada and general secretary of Hindu Mahasabha, and Bihar resident Dharamdas Maharaj were added to the FIR, reported news agency ANI.
Earlier, the Uttarakhand police had registered a case against Wasim Rizvi alias Jitendra Narayan Tyagi and others under Section 153A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) (promoting enmity between different groups on the grounds of religion, etc.).
Later, several politicians, including Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi, and others, spoke out against the genocidal speeches made against Muslims, which ironically, was organised as a 'Dharam Sansad.'
After the Haridwar conclave, another such hate-spewing event was organised in Delhi, which reportedly took place in Banarsidas Chandiwala Auditorium near Govindpuri metro station on 19 December.
A video of Hindutva groups and Sudarshan News Editor-in-Chief Suresh Chavhanke that emerged on social media on Wednesday, 22 December, showed them taking an oath to "fight, die and if required, kill" to turn India into a Hindu Rashtra (nation).
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