On 24 Nov, the World Hindu Congress (WHC) renounced the term Hinduism, contending that the term reflected oppressive and discriminatory attitudes. The third WHC adopted a declaration: ‘In the term Hindu Dharma, the first word, i.e, Hindu is an unbounded word. It signifies all that is Sanatan or Eternal. And then there is Dharma, which means ‘That, which sustains,’ asserting the word Hindutva was more accurate as it includes the gamut of all that the word Hindu implies. The declaration said that in contrast, Hinduism is totally different because it is suffixed with an ism, which is a term defined as ‘an oppressive and discriminatory attitude or belief.’ The assertion came against the statement by Tamil Nadu Minister for Sports and Youth Affairs and son of Chief Minister, M.K. Stalin, Udayanidhi Stalin, ‘Sanatana Dharma is like mosquitoes, dengue and malaria, and it has to be eradicated.’ He was speaking on 3 Sep at a Sanatana Dharma Abolition Conclave organized by the Tamil Nadu Progressive Writers Forum. The move by WHC is typical right-wing – when challenged, duck. The term Hindu comes from the river Sindhu (Indus) meaning the ‘people of the river.’ The term Hindutva was formulated by Savarkar in 1922. Today, Hindutva stands for the radical Hindus and Hindu nationalism. The change signals the unveiling of Hindutva’s violent agenda to the world and appropriation of the over 100 million moderate Hindus. For Sikhs, who have maintained they are not Hindus, this change consolidates their claim. (SDW: Vol 1 Issue 5, Story 2).
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