The Central Intelligence Agency of USA, in its latest World Factbook report, has categorized Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal as ‘militant religious organizations’ and it has referred Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) as Nationalist organization.CIA, in its report, has acknowledged that All Parties Hurriyat Conference in the Kashmir Valley is a separatist group, while the Jamiat Ulema-e Hind (Mahmood Madani) has been listed as religious organisation. CIA has put all these organisations under the category called ‘political pressure groups and leaders’ According to the media reports, VHP and Bajrang Dal are contemplating legal action against the CIA.
Since the report has come out, the left liberals are jubilant as if CIA has declared VHP and Bajrang Dal as terrorist organizations. They can’t even differentiate between the terrorist and militant and they claim that they are the most educated and intellectual tribe of India. Militant is a value neutral term whereas terrorist or guerrilla conventionally indicates disapproval of the behavior of the individual or organization so labeled, regardless of the motivations for such behavior. Militant is not equal to terrorist. CIA in its report also published the list of home-grown terrorist organizations and in that list there is no mention of VHP and Bajrang Dal. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines militant as “aggressively active (as in a cause)”. It says that the word militant might typically be used in phrases such as ‘militant conservationists’ or ‘a militant attitude. New York Times published an article with headline Militant Environmentalists Planning Summer Protests to Save Redwoods to describe about an environment conscious group that believes in “confrontational demonstrations” and “nonviolent tactics” to get across their message of preserving the environment. VHP had also launched such peaceful demonstration in 2007 against the demolition of Ram Setu.
In western religious circle the word militant is used to denote the continuous battle of Christians against the sin. But in India there is no such fight so western concept cannot be mindlessly applied into Indian context. It’s the mass media which messed with the term and use terrorist and militant interchangeably. But it looks like they are doing it deliberately, they are very well aware of the meaning and that’s why it has been seen when a terrorist is killed in Kashmir, the English Media says that a Militant has been killed. Because the militant doesn’t necessarily means terrorist, this false equivalency is peddled to justify the actions of the terrorists. It shows their pro-terrorist mentality. But these labels are not going to change the reality. Bhagat Singh was also called revolutionary terrorist by leftist historians.
One more fiasco for leftist Media is that the CIA list recognized All Parties Hurriyat Conference in the Kashmir Valley as a separatist group. Which means CIA accepts that Kashmir is a part of India and these separatist groups wants secession from India. Furthermore, in the list Hizbul Mujahideen has been labeled as terrorist organization. Burhan wani was a terrorist of the same organization whom media people converted into son of poor headmaster.
Coming to VHP, it is a non-political organization and has 6.8 million members dedicated to the cause of Hindu society and to work for the Dharma. VHP is against the caste system and cow slaughter. It has passed a resolution to ban untouchability in India. VHP also does a lot of social work in the field of Education, Medical, Vocational training, Social welfare, Relief services. It has its branches in work foreign countries like USA, Canada, and Australia etc. In USA, VHP raised the money for the victims of Typhoon Haiyan in 2013 and the Fiji flood victims of 2012. The 14th Dalai Lama is also a member of the VHP. It is gaining popularity in aforementioned countries and it organizes many multiculturalism events in these countries.
While the leftist-liberal media’s glee on CIA’s categorization is entirely misplaced and the does not even remotely endorse the views that they hold for the Hindu organizations, VHP and Bajrang Dal are well within their rights to move to Court against this unfair categorization.