Notorious for her hate speeches, Rithambara is the founder-chairperson of Durga Vahini, the women’s wing of Vishva Hindu Parishad
Waquar Hasan | Clarion India
NEW DELHI – The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has assiduously been encouraging public figures notorious for making Islamophobic comments and raking up anti-Muslim sentiments across the country. The government has not only been lenient but is seen to be emboldening hate-mongers targeting the secular ethos of the nation.
As part of its well-crafted polarisation attempts to gather electoral mileage, the BJP government has awarded Sadhvi Rithambara the Padma Bhushan, one of the highest civilian honours in the country.
A right-wing Hindu figure known for her hate speeches and genocidal slogans against Muslims, Rithambara is the founder-chairperson of Durga Vahini, the women’s wing of the Hindu militant group Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP).
On Saturday, the government announced seven Padma Vibhushan, 19 Padma Bhushan and 113 Padma Shri awards.
Padma Awards, which were instituted in the year 1954, are announced every year on the occasion of Republic Day. The Padma Bhushan is given for distinguished service of a high order.
The award to Ritambhara, an accused in the dastardly demolition of the Babri Mosque in Ayodhya in 1992, has come in for severe criticism.
The Liberhan Commission, which probed the Babri Mosque demolition, found that Rithambara was among those responsible for the demolition of the mosque and leading the country to communal violence. However, she and the other accused were acquitted by the CBI court in September 2020.
Citing the books, Wikipedia wrote that Rithambhara was not only present during the demolition but also incited the crowd to raze the religious place to the ground. Wikipedia cited political scientist and author Christophe Jaffrelot’s book ‘The Hindu Nationalist Movement and Indian Politics (1925 to the 1990s) as the source of information.
According to reports, a VHP leader admitted before the Liberhan Commission that Rithambara made provocative speeches during the demolition. “Sadhvi Rithambara was among those who made inflammatory speeches,” then VHP general secretary Acharya Giriraj Kishore admitted.
Asked why such speeches were made, particularly as Kishore had previously maintained that VHP leaders had appealed to the people gathered there to avoid damage to the mosque, he said Rithambara had been playing to the gallery.
“Leaders want to hear maximum cheers when they make their speeches. This is perhaps why Rithambara spoke in the manner she did,” he said.
In April 1995, Rithambara was arrested in Indore for inciting communal passions, after she called Mother Teresa a “magician” while denouncing Christian missionaries, who she alleged were converting Hindus. Rithambara’s address sparked off a riot and led to several arson cases and the arrest of 169 people.
Noted human rights activist Apoorvanand said the award for Rithambara was not surprising at a time when leaders are getting top posts due to their hatemongering.
“Not surprising when hate-mongering can get you the PM and CM posts. Even then one should feel revolted and not give it a free pass,” he said.
He urged other awardees to rethink about accepting awards along with Rithambhara. “Other Padma Bhushans who choose to be in one frame with this hate spreader need to think about their honour,” said Apoorvanand, a professor at Delhi University.
Journalist SR Praveen said: “Any self-respecting Padma Bhushan awardee will be shocked to know that the same has this year been awarded to Sadhvi Rithambara, accused in the Babri Masjid demolition case & founder of the militant Durga Vahini, known for her communal hate speeches. Award category – social work”.
Noted Supreme Court lawyer Prashant Bhushan said: “The Padma awards have degenerated into a political farce under the Modi regime”.
Between 1989 and 1992, Rithambara delivered multiple public speeches calling for war against Muslims. Cassettes of her genocidal rhetoric were widely circulated and played at temples and public gatherings across the country.
In her speeches, she equated Muslims to lemon in milk and compared them to flies, alleging they were mass-breeding to outnumber Hindus.
She was also a star campaigner for the BJP in the 1989 and 1991 Lok Sabha elections, as well as in several state legislative elections.
In September 2022, a fundraising event in the United States featuring her was canceled in New Jersey following an outcry and calls from Indian American groups. The Indian American Muslim Council, Hindus for Human Rights, and other organisations had urged the cancellation and organised a letter-writing campaign to the church through an online action alert titled “Reject hate, say no to Hindu Nationalism in New Jersey.”