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VHP washes hands of MP sadhvi’s hate speech, guru says she is ‘repentant’
The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) on Saturday distanced itself from an alleged hate speech by a little-known sadhvi from Madhya Pradesh though her ‘guru’ claimed that she was repentant for her anti-Pakistan tirade during a function at Mangaluru.
The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) on Saturday distanced itself from an alleged hate speech by a little-known sadhvi from Madhya Pradesh though her ‘guru’ claimed that she was repentant for her anti-Pakistan tirade during a function at Mangaluru.
Mangaluru police on Friday registered an FIR against Sadhvi Balika Saraswati after she allegedly said that “people who eat and live in India and praise Pakistan should be hit with shoes and sent to Pakistan.”
Her comments, made during a VHP function on March 1, came within days of BJP leader Sadhvi Prachi stoking a controversy by asking people to shun films by the three Bollywood Khans – Shah Rukh, Salman and Aamir – as they promote ‘love jihad’ and a culture of violence.
Ever since the BJP swept to power at the Centre with a landslide victory last year, leaders aligned to the Sangh Parivar have been caught in a swirl of controversies over alleged hate speeches to derogatory remarks against other communities.
Sadhvi Balika Saraswati, whose Facebook profile gave her date of birth as August 1, 1995, allegedly also said during the same speech that a Ram temple would be built in Ayodhya and another one in Islamabad and Hindus would go there and offer “poojas and archanas”.
The VHP was quick to wash its hands of the sadhvi and her speech.
“She is not a member of the VHP...Since she is a good orator, the VHP invites her to speak at its programme but the organisation is not responsible for what she said at Mangaluru,” said Ambreesh, the Hindu organisation’s ‘kshetra sangthan mantri’ in Madhya Pradesh.
One Nagendra Brahmchari, the priest of a Hanuman temple in Chhindwara who also claimed to be the sadhvi’s guru, said she was upset and repentant after her speech.
“She felt that she should not have made the statement,” Brahmchari said over phone when HT reached him for his comments.
He also quoted the sadhvi as saying that in her speech she only said what she was asked of by VHP leaders.
Not known beyond parts of Madhya Pradesh, the sadhvi has been delivering sermons from the age of 7.
(With PTI inputs)
