Bajrang Dal vows to be stronger, bolder

Bajrang Dal, a branch of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh that has been making headlines for alleged attacks on Christians in Karnataka, Orissa and Kerala, will dare the Centre to ban it at the silver jubilee celebrations it plans in New Delhi on October 1 by assembling a massive 'Hindu' crowd.

An enrolment of 25 lakh youths to mark the completion of 25 years and various other programmes have been drawn up for the celebrations that will end up with training camps in all 938 districts of the country in December, 2009.

Increasing voices from across the country to ban the organisation for its alleged repeated attacks on Christians have hardened its leaders to assert that any such ban would only give an impetus to the youths to join it in a big way to assert the stand of the majority community.

The outfit says that it would give an open call to the government at the Delhi rally to ban their outfit 'engaged in nationalist activities'.

The Bajrang Dal's birth on October 1, 1984 in Ayodhya is attributed to the Hindu saints giving a call to the youths to come forward to protect the 'Ram-Janaki' Rath Yatra started by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad.

Recognising it as an offshoot of the VHP, the latter's supreme, Ashok Singhal has already sent out a circular across the country to organise the Hindu youths to turn out at a massive show planned in the national capital on its foundation day.

Though founded in Uttar Pradesh to involve the youths in the 'Ram Janmabhoomi Movement' in Ayodhya, the Bajrang Dal decided in 1986

to spread out to other states and has now units in all the states to play what its leaders describe as the role in 'Hindu awakening' through various programmes.

The VHP traces the history of rise of the Bajrang Dal and details on its online portal an over a year-long programme drawn up for celebrating its 25th year of formation.

Though a Hindu youths' rally on October 1 in Delhi will mark start of the Bajrang Dal's silver jubilee celebrations, the website says there would be a massive inauguration programme at its birthplace in Ayodhya later in October. 

'Starting from this, a massive expansion programme in terms of enrolment drive of sympathisers (minimum of 25 lakh) as well as appointments of Bajarang Dal Samyojaks (organisers) will be taken up in lakhs of villages.

'From January to April 2009, province-wise big conferences will be organised all over Bharat. In the months of May and June, training camps will be organised in all the provinces in which thousands of chosen workers will take part.

'In the months of September- October 2009, Bajarang Dal will take up a massive public awakening programme in all the 938 districts of Bharat to acquaint Hindus with the issues of Islamic terrorism, infiltration by Bangladeshi Muslims and religious conversion of Hindus by the Christian Church,' the website adds.