Members of Hindutva outfits like Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajarang Dal staged a protest march at Jantar Mantar on Tuesday over the government’s decision of carving out a sub-quota of 4.5 per cent for minorities within the 27 per cent reservation for OBCs.
They asked the government to roll back reservations given to Muslims and Christians and also demanded the government should advise Russia to remove a ban on Bhagavad Gita.
Members said they did not agree with the government’s decision of carving out the sub-quota for minorities. “The country has already lost a lot by dividing people on religious lines. Now, the United Progressive Alliance government is creating the same situation to grab more votes. This is not acceptable,” said B L Sharma, a VHP central advisory board member.
Gita ban
Over Bhagavad Gita ban in Russia, members from Hindu organisations said this was an insult to the holy book and illogical to ban it in any country.
“We have also submitted a memorandum to the President demanding an immediate recall of any reservations based on religion and advice her Russian counterpart to stop any move to ban Gita,” said Vinod Bansal, VHP media chief, Delhi.
A Siberian court is set to pronounce a verdict on Wednesday over a petition seeking a ban on Gita in Russia, translated by Iskcon's founder A C Bhaktived Swami Prabhupada.
The petition allege that a chapter on Upanishads spreads hatred and encourages religious intolerance. The gathering was also addressed by Swami Pragyanand, Naval Kishore Das and Surendra Nath Avadhut, among others.
The protesters carried saffron flags, banners and posters and burnt effigies, shouting slogans like Gita ka apmaan nahin sahenge (We will not tolerate insult towards Bhagavad Gita).
