Every team will include nine members — president, vice-president, secretary, satsang pramukh, gau raksha pramukh, Bajrang Dal convener, college vidyarthi pramukh, Durga Vahini convener and Matra Shakti convenor. (Representational Image) Every team will include nine members — president, vice-president, secretary, satsang pramukh, gau raksha pramukh, Bajrang Dal convener, college vidyarthi pramukh, Durga Vahini convener and Matra Shakti convenor. (Representational Image)

‘DHARMA YODHHAS’ (warriors to save religion) — workers of RSS offshoot Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) — are set to spread out in the Braj region of the state to protect temples, Hindu girls from ‘love jihad’ and also create awareness among farmers about gau raksha. This was announced in a three-day regional meeting of the VHP, which was attended by organisation’s international president Pravin Togadia. The meeting, which took place in Aligarh, had concluded on July 18.

VHP leaders said dharma yodhhas have been deputed in 296 prakhands (smallest organisational unit of VHP) in Braj Prant, which includes Agra, Mathura, Aligarh, Firozabad, Hathras, Shahjahanpur, Bareilly, Badaun, Pilibhit, Mainpuri, Kasganj and Etah districts. VHP’s Braj region is divided into 22 organisational districts units.

A team of dharma yodhha will comprise nine members — president, vice-president, secretary, satsang pramukh, gau raksha pramukh, Bajrang Dal convener, college vidyarthi pramukh, Durga Vahini convener and Matra Shakti convenor. VHP leaders said the convenors of Durga Vahini and Matra Shakti will be women members. “They have been named dharma yodhha because they have been given the task to protect the Hindu culture and give leadership to the community,” VHP’s Braj organisation secretary Manoj said.

He added that these teams will hold meetings with Hindu girls in schools, colleges and other places of public gathering, such as temples, where they will be told to stay alert about cases of ‘love jihad’. “Hindu girls will be made to understand the conspiracy of love jihad and identify youths who wear kalavas (sacred thread) and introduce themselves with fake Hindu names… Hindu samaj ki behan betiyon ke saath meeting karenge… koi Gori (Mohammad) and Ghazni unhe behka ke nahin le ja payega (We will hold meetings with our sisters, daughters… no Gori or Ghazni will be able to lure them),” he added.

On Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently denouncing violence in the name of cow vigilance, Manoj said: “We do not believe in violence. We will appeal to villagers not to abandon their cows… they should be protected for commercial use of cow urine and dung. Dharma yodhhas will oppose if butchers take away cows. We will protect cows in gaushala… dharma yodhhas will also lodge complaint with the administration regarding illegal cow slaughtering.”

Dharma yodhhas, while protecting temples and matths, will also constitute working committees to ensure that religious activities, such as aarti, are performed everyday at these places and Hindus take part in the same. With several cases of communal violence resulting from the use of loudspeakers at temples in parts of Braj and western UP, Manoj said: “When Hindu society will become united and self-dependent, people themselves would install loudspeakers and mikes in temples. Dharam yodhhas will speak to the local administration to ensure that loudspeakers are allowed in temples. If the administration denies permission, they will stage agitations. Loudspeakers will be installed by people.”

Another VHP office-bearer said: “The dharma yodhhas will make Hindus aware of pro-Hindutva activities being taken up in the country and make them aware of their religion.” “Also, kanwariyas are being told to bring in local folk singers to hold programmes instead of playing film songs and DJ band… this rule will be applicable to future religious events as well,” added the office bearer.

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