Bhartiya Janta Party is a communalist party

I agree with the terms mentioned by the instigator. Since Pro has raised no objections to my statements in round 1, I take it they're all valid throughout the course of this debate. It is now the time for me to initiate my argument. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Founding Statements____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), along with other allied organizations such as the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), Shiv Sena (SS), Bajrang Dal (BD) and Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) among others, is constantly accused of being violent, extremist, and most of all, communal. This, however, is largely due to the propaganda of mainstream media in India. There are many instances where the BJP (and/or allies) has indulged in acts that would be classified as, in every sense of the word, secular. I shall demonstrate these in later arguments. The leadership of the Bharatiya Janata Sangh, which was the predecessor of the BJP, was formed from the RSS brass. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that many top BJP members are also RSS members. The leaders and workers of the BJP openly support "Hindutva". This has led millions of people, including my opponent, to believe that the BJP is communal. However, to insinuate such a thing is no more than a classic example of ignorance and incomplete knowledge of the truth, which also I am about to explain. Another main focus of my arguments will be a clarification of the BJP's (and/or RSS's) role in "recent" incidents of communal violence, most prominently the 1992 Babri Masjid Demolition and the 2002 post-Godhra violence. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Opening arguments____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Roots of communal allegations: M. S. GolwalkarM. S. Golwalkar was an early leader of the RSS, who in his published works, condemned Muslims and encouraged upliftment of the Hindus. He was openly of fascist views, and spoke of converting all non-Hindus to Hindus. As a result, he was widely criticized. However, Golwalkar's influence ends in the RSS. Being the forefather of the "Sangh Parivar" (lit. family of organizations), he is still respected, but his views have no place in the BJP manifesto. In fact, while he was Prime Minister of India in 2002, Atal Bihari Vajpayee openly denounced Golwalkar's views, saying that "Golwalkar's views were his own", and that the BJP never gave him its stamp of approval. This shows that even though Golwalkar was respected in his time, and probably still is in the RSS, his ideals have no place in the BJP. As a matter of fact, a much more respected figure in the BJP (and RSS) is Swami Vivekananda, who had nothing to do with communalism. Babasaheb Apte (a prominent RSS leader) used to say all the time that "Vivekananda is like Gita for the RSS". ------------------------------Mainstream media's anti-BJP propagandaThis is the principal reason for people questioning the BJP over communalism. Ever since the breakout of the paid news scandal, it is no secret that many news network honchos are constantly under the thumb of the Indian National Congress. -----Sources:. http://www.theguardian.com...http://india-herald.com...http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com...-----Another reason of the media acting against the BJP is because the BJP follows a strictly no-appeasement policy. This does not go well with mediapersons, who are by now used to getting fringe benefits in exchange for coverage. Ultimately, media enterprises are nothing more than business ventures. Since their demands are not entertained by the BJP, they often tend to crticize the party. ------------------------------Babri Mosque demolition (1992)The media played an important role in attacking the BJP during the Babri masjid violence of 1992. The Liberhan Commission was deployed by the government to investigate the events. The credibility of the commission's report comes under question for two factors:1) The commission ran for 17 years from 1992 to 2005, and cost Rs. 80 million. It is India's longest running commission ever.2) Certain aspects of the final report were selectively leaked by the media. -----Sources:. http://en.wikipedia.org...http://twocircles.net...http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com...http://archive.indianexpress.com...-----The fact that the commission took 17 years to compile a report has drawn widespread criticism and speculation over it being biased. By the time the report was finally released, the INC-led UPA government had been in power for 5 years. The leak came at a time when the entire opposition, chiefly involving the BJP, was united against the UPA government. As it is well-known, the UPA government was under heavy fire at the time. Obviously, the Liberhan report leak comes across as a bit too convenient in implicating BJP leaders. ------------------------------2002 Gujarat riots (post-Godhra violence)These riots came as a direct response to the burning of train in Godhra, which resulted in the deaths of 58 Hindus. The official death toll is now 1180, which includes over 250 Hindus and 850 Muslims (excluding the train burning victims). The BJP state government, which, at the time, was led by Narendra Modi, came under heavy censure for allegedly abetting the riots, citing that the state government did little or nothing to quell the violence. However, there is still NO PROOF of Modi's involvement in the riots. The allegations against BJP have recently gained new impetus, only because it was election season not too long ago, and the UPA government was getting more and more desperate. -----Sources:. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com...http://blogs.wsj.com...----- Moreover, the BJP claimed to have made official statements appealing to end the riots. But this was never made known to the people at large. One doesn't have to think twice to deduce that the media is, once again, responsible. Ultimately, people continue to correlate Modi and the BJP with the riots. ------------------------------Actual meaning of HindutvaThe BJP (and other members of the Sangh Parivar) have constantly been saying that they favour "Hindutva" (lit. Hindusim). This leads most people to believe that their allegiance is to the Hindu ethnic group, which in turn makes them think that the BJP is communalist. What they DON'T realize is the fact that the BJP DOES NOT PROFESS HINDUISM IN A RELIGIOUS, BUT A NATIONALIST MANNER. One of the old names of India is Hindustan. Therefore, a Hindu isn't one who worships the gods of the Hindu pantheon. EVERYONE WHO LIVES IN HINDUSTAN (INDIA) IS A HINDU in BJP's eyes. As a matter of fact, the origin of the word "Hindu" is not religious, but territorial. It comes from the river Sindhu (Indus). Originally, "Hindu" meant "those that live to the East of the Sindhu". -----Source:. http://en.wikibooks.org...-----This has been reiterated time and again by senior BJP leaders, but sadly, not many listen. Hindutva is, IN NO WAY, A COMMUNAL CONCEPT. It is, in fact, secular. -----Five different sources to support my claim:Analysis by senior lawyer & politician Ram Jethmalani - . http://www.sunday-guardian.com...Report by Supreme court of India - . http://www.newsanalysisindia.com...Freedom fighter and nationalist Veer Savarkar explains how "Hindutva" is not "Hinduism" (pdf file) - . http://www.savarkar.org...VHP offers its views on Hindutva - . http://vhp.org.uk...Views of vedic scholar Swami Shraddhananda - . http://www.shraddhananda.com...-----BJP has never been against Muslims as a whole. BJP is against anyone who threatens the integrity of Hindustan, which is India. Anyone who spreads corruption, vice, or terror, is an enemy of the BJP, and, by extension, the Sangh Parivar. Hindutva as advocated by the BJP is NOT communal fanaticism of the Hindus; It's a nationalistic sentiment for a secular, virtuous, and safe India. This ought to quell most doubts over BJP's alleged "communal" nature. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Summary____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________- Hindutva is not a communal/religious concept, but a secular and nationalist one. - As such, the BJP is allied not with the Hindu who worships Krishna, but with the man who lives in Hindustan. - Senior BJP leaders have often been persecuted by the media for their strict no-appeasement policy, as well as for monetary gains. - BJP's alleged "role" in communal violence is largely a result of smear campaigning. The view of the party, as a whole, has never been communalist, but nationalist. - M. S. Golwalkar was one of the Sangh Parivar's original stalwarts, but the BJP is influenced much more by Vivekananda, a known secular and nationalist reformer. I eagerly await my opponent's response in round 3. I'm looking forward to presenting my own rebuttals to Pro's arguments.