Hindutva success mantra: Make a hate speech and become famous

India should be declared a “Hindu Rashtra”. All persons residing in India should acknowledge their Hindu identity. Girls wearing jeans is against Hindu culture.

We have heard these ludicrous statements of religious bigotry only too often, more so, after BJP, the largest Hindu nationalist party came to power this year. Yesterday, Union minister of state for food processing Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti made a controversial remark during an election rally in Delhi that “People of Delhi have to decide if they want a government of Ramzaadon (followers of Ram) or a government of those who are illegitimate."

Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti, who belongs to the Nishad caste, unsuccessfully contested the Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh in 2002 and 2007 on a BJP ticket, till she finally won in 2012. In the Lok Sabha elections 2014, she was given a ticket from the Fatehpur seat with the intent to make inroads amongst the Dalits and other backward communities.

She is famous as a religious preacher, wears saffron robes, sports a vermillion tilak on her forehead and is famous for her speeches laced with Hindu scriptures and hymns. She was also the central secretary of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), a right-wing Hindu group, led by the Hindu extremist Pravin Togadia. VHP has been repeatedly accused of orchestrating communal riots and allegedly, it played a major influence in instigating the Gujarat 2002 riots.

Hence, given Sadhvi's religious background and political leanings, her comments should not even be moderately surprising. She is only propagating what her Hindu gurus have taught her which substantiates her right wing leanings. Ever since BJP's rise to power at the Centre and in other states, Hindu groups seem to have upped their ante, with Praveen Togadia recently commenting that “Ram Temple will be built at all costs and they will raise the issue with the BJP at the right time”.

After forming the government at the Centre, the BJP has captured power in Maharashtra and Haryana and it might even emerge as the single largest party in Muslim majority Jammu and Kashmir. As the saffron party gains more ground, such farcical statements and remarks will become even more common.

Even though she is a Union minister for state, Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti is not a household name as yet. Her remark seems like a frantic attempt to gain publicity and make her presence felt. It's more of a “been there done that” situation, where she is trying to leverage the oldest trick in the book to get famous.

Therefore, rather than boiling our blood and flooding Facebook feeds with criticism, we should pass it off as another brick in the wall, and instead focus our energies on more substantive issues like the Insurance Bill, Transport Bill and Higher Education Bill.

Even the Congress which is in shambles after repeated electoral defeats, should focus on strengthening their base and rejuvenating their cadres, rather than wasting their energy in demanding Sadhvi Jyoti's resignation for her statement, which will anyway get overshadowed very soon under PM Modi's magical marketing stunts.