Alarmed by what they call “systematic persecution” of Hindus in Bengal, Vishwa Hindu Parishad’s (VHP) Bengal leg will organise a mega sant sammelan in Kolkata on July 13. The agenda of this summit is to help Hindus of the state find a way to makes themselves heard, in the light of the recent Basirhat riots.
“Hindus of Bengal have been given the short shrift ever since Mamta Banerjee has came to power. Slowly, even our basic rights are being taken away. What happened in Basirhat was the last straw. We need to stand up against Muslim aggression in the state,” Sourish Mukherjee, VHP’s Bengal Spokesperson told ScoopWhoop News.
Hindu religious leaders and priests attached with various temples from different parts of West Bengal have been invited to the event, reports Hindustan Times.
According to Mukherjee, there has been a conscious attempt to include the most “progressive Hindu leaders” like Devananda Brahmachari Maharaj, the chief of Prem Mandir Ashram at Rishra in Hooghly and Paramatma Nandanath Bhairav Giri Maharaj, founder of Bramhamoyee Kali Bari at Baranagar in north Kolkata. “These spiritual leaders will be best placed to chart a plan for us. They are the heads of our religion. We must fall back on them,” says Mukherjee.
The summit, which will be held at Mahajati Sadan in central Kolkata on Thursday, will be “open to all Hindus”. “Anyone can walk in and participate in this sant sammelan. It’s an open invitation to all Hindus of Bengal,” says Mukherjee.
Paramatma Nandanath Bhairav Giri Maharaj, founder of Bramhamoyee Kali Bari at Baranagar, who is scheduled to participate in the event, however, clarified that he will not say anything against the Muslim community in his speech. “I will ensure that at least my session is not a Muslim-bashing one. I want to preach peaceful coexistence,” Paramatma Nandanath told ScoopWhoop News.
