The Freethought Party of India (FPI) celebrated July 1 (Rath Yatra Day) as “No God Day” and held a seminar on topic: “Hindutva and India’s secular democracy are antithetical: So BJP and Shiv Sena must abandon Hindutva in toto.”
Rationalist Prof Dhaneswar Sahoo presided over the function.
Initiating the discussion and expressing his deep shock on the horrific Udaipur incident where two Muslim terrorists, quite upset over Nupur Sharma’s insulting remark on Prophet Muhammad, beheaded Kanhaiya Lal in his tailoring shop as he backed Nupur’s statement, FPI general secretary B Ramchandra CST Voltaire pointed out that India should stay as a secular democracy.
He said the absurd idea of Hindutva that aims at making India a Hindu Rastra thereby pushing the Muslims into a sub-ordinate position should be totally abandoned.
“The BJP and Shiv Sena and RSS should not waste their time in pre-Copernican and Medievalist ideas based on mythological writings like the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. The high voltage “noise” made on the Shinde faction of Shiv Sena and BJP forming a coalition Government in Maharashtra on the plank of “Hindutva” is nothing but an eye-wash,” said Voltaire.
Taking part in the discussion BSP leader MS Yadav observed that the foolishness of the ordinary poor people has been exploited by the cunning rulers in the name of gods and goddess.
Among others, rationalist writer Sudhansu Dhada spoke.
Madam Swapna Bijayini proposed a vote of thanks.