Pune: Attacking the BJP government in the Centre, especially Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Shankaracharya Nischalananda Saraswati of Purvaamnaya Govardhanmath Puri Peeth said there is no provision for Hindu Rashtra in the Constitution of India and Hindutva has a far-reaching connotation that is different than the one projected by the saffron party for political gains.
"Prime Minister Narendra Modi can't declare India as Hindu Rashtra. He can not do so as a leader as the Constitution of India does not endorse anything called Hindu Rashtra. In the name of development, the BJP-led government has done nothing substantial. Modi government is also not stable as it is dependent on Chandrababu Naidu and Nitish Kumar," Shankaracharya said. He was interacting with media in Pune on Tuesday.
He also said that despite claiming its success in constructing the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, the BJP was defeated in several of its strongholds including Ayodhya. "By only worshipping Lord Ram, the BJP can't win all elections. Besides its bastion in Ayodhya, election results in Chitrakoot, Nasik and some other places showed BJP's defeat," he added.
The seer said Hindutva has a wide connotation and criticised the BJP for using it for political mileage. According to him, Lord Ram was angry and the BJP was defeated in many places.
"At present, people of the country have to follow the Sanatan dharma tenets for overall happiness. Hindu Rashtra in the true sense, means creating a land where justice is ensured, everyone gets equal treatment and peace prevails. The Vedic constitution is called Manusmriti. What Manu said should be adhered to make the quality of life better," he added.
