Recently a training camp was organised at Ayodhya,( last week of June 2000) organized by Bajarang Dal to train its followers in the use of firearms. This is one in the series of such camps which have been held earlier in various places in UP. According to the organizers these camps are necessary as the ISI activities are posing a threat to Hindus. As the members of Sangh Parivar are feeling emboldened by the BJP led coalition ruling at the center and the in UP where these activities have been picking up at dangerous speed, the minorities and the secular groups are feeling threatened by the very nature of activities which this progeny of Sangh Parivar is undertaking.

Bajarang Dal:

Bajarang Dal (BD) is one of the late children of the Parivar, which was formed with the initiative of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad in 1984 in the wake of the rising tempo of Ram Janmbhumi movement. Its proclaimed goal was to make the Hindu youth 'bold'. And its emphasis has been predominantly on physical training and actions. In contrast to RSS's lathi, trident was BD's main weapon so far. BD has acted as a sort of the 'street fighter' for RSS like Black Shirts were acting for Hitler. First time it gave the indication of its hysterical frenzy was when it offered cupfuls of their blood to Lal Krishna Advani who was on the first step of Rath yatra, in the prelude to Babri demolition. Its later bravado was witnessed when its Chief, Mr. Vinay Katiyar, at the time when BJP was giving promise to the Supreme Court and National integration council to protect the Babri mosque, proclaimed that Babri mosque will be demolished and its debris will be thrown in river Sarayu. That's precisely what happened and this 'Hindutva warrior' was rewarded with the Lok Sabha seat by the BJP.

Bajarang Dal has kept the venom and intensity of its activities since then and has been the most dominant SP progeny as far as the intimidation of minorities goes. It is forthright and ruthless in its language, which sends chills down the spine of minorities and sends the waves of secret admiration and joy in the hearts of the saffronites.

Culture of Physical Training:

BD's grandfather the, the RSS began with a mix of intellectual sessions and physical training. Its physical training revolved around how to use lathi (baton) in the street violence. It was the time (1925) when the hegemony of upper caste was weakening on the low castes because of Phule-Ambedkar movement and the upper caste felt they will have to 'defend' their own selves as the low caste can no more be relied for defending them from the anti- Hindus i.e. at that time mainly the Muslims. That was also the time when Gandhi was training the volunteers of Indian Nationhood in the non-violent struggles to free Indian Nation from the clutches of British, Bhagat Singh and his comrades were training themselves in the methods to intimidate the British empire, and Netaji Bose was training his flock to take the might of British on the battlefield. Lathi training in contrast was to take on the 'internal threats' to Hindu Nation (not Indian nation) i.e. Muslims, Christians and Communists (Golwalkar, the second RSS Supremo's formulation).

The Increasing Assertion of SP:

The intense communalization of society from 1980s has given big grist to the mill of lathi wielders of yesteryears and over a period of time the Parivar has also perfected its division of labor as per which the lathis have started looking to be the slow weapon against the 'enemies of Hindu Nation'(read minorities and those believing in secular values). The followers of this politics have been using more intimidating techniques but with the sure understanding that no action will be taken against them because of the protective political umbrella being provided by the BJP and the lack of will shown by other opportunist political parties in power. SP has probably also come to believe that its project of Hindu Rashtra can be expedited with the use of more dangerous weapons and so the present training is being imparted to its own 'black shirts'.

Dangerous Portents:

 The avowed aim of protecting Hindus is hogwash. ISI is a convenient excuse for the minority intimidation. Do we have to believe that Indian state's duties of law and order, which incidentally are being presided over by the most powerful SP man, Mr. Advani himself, are being taken over by this extra constitutional body. Which Hindus are being under the threat of ISI? Who are the enemies of the Nation whom the State cannot deal with? Is the state currently ruled by the BJP led coalition, planning to abdicate its responsibility of protecting all the citizens including Hindus? This stupid non-sense, which is being peddled, and being patronized by the govt. is loaded with dangerous portents. As a matter of fact last few years have seen that it is minorities, Dalit and women who are constantly facing attacks from not only the individual Hindutva followers but also at the hands of private armies like Ranbir Sena and its different clones in many parts of the country, acting on behalf of landlords/upper castes, which are posing a threat to these sections.

The Cult of Violence:

The minorities are in a bind. While the private armies in the villages and small towns have been perpetrating violence mainly on Dalits, the minorities have been victims of vicious and aggressive hate propaganda and consequent violence against them. First for last four and a half decades till five years ago Muslims were subjected to the violence. Now from last three years or so Christians are getting the flak. All this even when the most frequently used tools for 'protection of Hindus' (an Orwellian euphemism for anti Minority violence) were lathis and tridents. With 'promotion of weapons', to the one's passing through the barrel of guns the level of intimidation will be qualitatively transformed. The BD's present moves blessed by its affiliates like VHP and RSS and sheltered by BJP may be the last straw on the camels back of tolerance of the weaker sections of society especially minorities.

One hopes and prays that sanity prevails and the Govt. comes down with a heavy hand on these anti-democratic moves of the SP progeny.