CHICAGO: A group of protesters briefly disrupted the proceedings of the World Hindu Congress in Chicago when they started raising slogans demanding the religious leaders at the meet to oppose the Indian government's alleged "actions against religious minorities".Two of the women protesters were arrested Friday evening and local police charged them with disorderly conduct and trespassing. They were released later in the night.Representing the Chicago South Asians for Justice, the two women speaking on condition of anonymity told PTI that they protested during the World Hindu Congress to urge the leaders attending it to oppose the "current actions of the government against religious minorities".The event organisers alleged that the protesters sneaked into the venue using a "fake identity card". The issue has been reported to the police and is being investigated.RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and its joint general secretary Dattatreya Hosbale and six other top Hindu religious leaders were participating in a panel discussion on collective efforts for Hindu resurgence when the protesters seated at two different places in the hall suddenly stood on their chairs and started raising slogans such as "Stop Hindu Fascism " and "RSS turn around, we do not want you in town. "Taken by surprise, some of the attendees of the conference raised counter slogans, prevented them from raising the banner that they had brought in and in less than a minute were taken out of the plenary hall. The hotel security and local police immediately took the situation under control.Following the incident, security in and around the hotel has been intensified. Vice President Venkaiah Naidu is slated to address the WHC Sunday. "About six of us were at the WHC today. We were there to protest the conference, the organiser, the speakers, and the attendees and their support for the current and historic violence that's been propagated by the RSS and other similar organisations," one of the woman protestors told PTI after being released. "We sat through most of the plenary this evening. There were about six speakers. Two of us were on one side of the room and the rest sat on the other side of the room. We stood up with a banner. We chanted 'RSS turnaround, we do not want you in town'," she said and alleged that they were immediately swarmed and other conference attendees started screaming at them.The two of these women were handcuffed as they came out of the hotel. The police arrested another individual for allegedly spitting on them. "He did that in front of the police," she said. "We mounted our disruption towards the end of the evening plenary session," the second woman protestor said, alleging that some of the attendees in the room snatched the banner from them.Earlier in the day, Avaaz Foundation took out a full-page advertisement in The Chicago Tribune against the WHC. The advertisement cost them around USD 26,000. The foundation on Friday also hired a mobile advertisement van which moved in the vicinity of the hotel.More protests are planned for Saturday.<doc-sep>LOMBARD, Ill. (RNS) — About 2,500 people from 60 countries attended the second World Hindu Congress last weekend near Chicago. The congress — which followed an inaugural gathering four years ago in India — opened Friday (Sept. 7) with a long blast from a conch shell to create good vibrations, a lamp lighting ceremony to dispel darkness, and a mantra calling for unity. There also were messages from world leaders like the Dalai Lama, spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhists, who sent a video, and India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who sent a letter. The gathering, organized by the World Hindu Foundation, calls itself “a global platform for Hindus to connect, share ideas, inspire one another, and impact the common good.” And, like at many religious gatherings these days, a dispute broke out over religion and politics A historic gathering The gathering was an historic event for Hindus, coming 125 years, nearly to the day, after a famed speech by Swami Vivekananda to the World’s Parliament of Religions in Chicago. That speech “put Hinduism on the global map,”according to Nitika Sharma, spokesperson for the World Hindu Congress. A towering statue of Swami Vivekananda was unveiled to mark the occasion, and several speakers at the opening plenary referenced his speech, in which he said he was proud to belong to a “religion which has taught the world both tolerance and universal acceptance.” “That singular event, that singular act, changed the course of history and paved the way for Hindus to carry their traditions and values with confidence and pride as they traveled and settled in different corners of the world,” said Abhaya Asthana, president of Vishwa Hindu Parishad of America and coordinator of the 2018 congress. “Today, once again, we gather here in Chicago — this time, as a people, to echo and reaffirm the same old message of diversity, universal acceptance and cooperation.” But not even a faith tradition that cherishes acceptance and cooperation is immune to political and cultural divides. Panelists in a Friday afternoon session on cultivating political leadership in the United States and other Western democracies noted sponsors and speakers had been targeted with petitions asking them to withdraw from the event. U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, the first Hindu elected to Congress, reportedly withdrew months ago, citing “ethical reasons arising from participating in partisan politics of India in America.” Gabbard’s office did not return a call for comment, and organizers did not immediately answer how many panelists or sponsors had dropped out. The Coalition for the Defense of the Constitution and Democracy also held a news conference in New York City prior to the congress, protesting the involvement of participants from VHPA, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and other groups. The coalition claimed in a press release that those groups are “promoting the agenda of Hindutva fascism under the cover of ‘Hindu resurgence.’” Sunita Viswanath is co-founder of Sadhana, a group of progressive Hindus that joined other South Asian human rights, Hindu, Dalit, Muslim and secular activist organizations in the coalition. She said the coalition did not object to people gathering in general. But they were protesting the ideology of some participating speakers and groups, which Viswanath described as “Hindu nationalist, Hindu supremacist.” “A gathering like the World Hindu Congress seems to be celebrating Hinduism and India at a time when we think what’s urgent is speaking out for peace and nonviolence, for a feeling of brotherhood among people,” she said. RSS is as an “ideological, nationalist Hindu group” that helped Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party rise to power in India in 2014, Reuters reports. The country’s Muslims and other religious and caste minorities since have pointed to incidents of religious violence and discrimination. The congress confirmed several people were arrested Friday after creating a disturbance during a panel discussion on collective efforts for Hindu resurgence that included Mohan Bhagwat, the head of RSS. Chicago South Asians for Justice posted a statement online saying they had staged the “peaceful disruption.” A video posted online showed people surrounding and shouting over protesters holding up a banner. A ‘core value’ of Hinduism Despite the protests, congress spokesperson Sharma defended RSS’ participation in the congress. It’s about “creating a proud Hindu identity,” she said, denying claims that made RSS or the congress a nationalist group: “I don’t think it is the correct way to describe us.” Diversity of thought is “one of the core values of Hindu dharma,” or teaching, which includes a number of schools that can be contradictory but still are united in their fundamental beliefs, according to Sharma. Because of that, she said, “We do believe that everyone should be free to choose what they believe in. Just like we’re proud to do this, if someone feels strongly against it, they’re free to express their views. … In some sense, some people are taking notice of what we’re doing, as well.” Vindhya Adapa, a 28-year-old Hindu-American attorney for HIAS, a refugee resettlement agency, in Washington, D.C., said she only was “very, very vaguely” aware of the controversy before attending the event. During the panel on cultivating political leadership, Adapa took the microphone to say she identified with the Democratic Party and to ask how to work together with other Hindus across party lines. She told Religion News Service she came to the congress “to learn more about my faith and learn more about service opportunities, political opportunities and network with people.” “At the end of the day, this is a very diverse conference,” she said. “I’m not going to agree with everyone who’s here, and I didn’t come here to find an echo chamber, so, yes, there may be certain politicians or certain leaders that not everyone agrees with, and perhaps that could be one reason why people thought it safe to avoid this conference. For me, personally speaking, this is an opportunity and a place to foster collaborative Hindu identity and thinking.” The next World Hindu Congress is planned for 2022 in Bangkok.<doc-sep>(With inputs from agencies) NEW DELHI: Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat 's 'lion and dog' remark made at the World Hindu Congress in Chicago on Saturday drew criticism from activists and politicians.Urging the Hindu community leaders to unite and work for the betterment of the mankind, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat had said that Hindus have no aspiration of dominance and the community will prosper only when it works as a society. "If a lion is alone, wild dogs can invade and destroy the lion. We must not forget that. We want to make the world better. We have no aspiration of dominance. Our influence is not a result of conquest or colonisation,” he said.Questioning Bhagwat who did he refer to, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) President, Asaduddin Owaisi said that the Indian constitution refers everybody as humans. "So who are dogs and the lion? Indian Constitution defines everyone as humans & doesn't treat them as dogs or lion. The problem with RSS is that they don't believe in Indian constitution," said Owaisi.Owaisi further remarked that he was not surprised by the RSS chief statement since this has been their language for years. "They (RSS) have their weird ideas to demean people by calling others dogs and assuming themselves as the lion. This has been the language of RSS from last 90 years and I am not surprised. People of India will reject such crass and crude language," said the AIMIM leader.Bhagwat's statement also drew criticism from Bharipa Bahujan Mahasangh leader Prakash Ambedkar. Condemning Bhagwat's statement, Ambedkar, claimed that the "dog" reference was for the "Opposition parties" in the country. "I condemn this 'mansikta' (mentality) of Mohan Bhagwat that he has referred to Opposition parties in the country as dogs," Ambedkar said. He said parties have come and gone out of power but this mentality indicated that the ruling dispensation thinks that the opposition cannot fight them.He claimed that it was this mentality that led to the imprisonment of RSS functionaries in 1949 by then deputy Prime Minister Sardar Patel.The RSS members were released subsequently but the organisation has, ever since, been misusing its freedom, alleged Ambedkar. "I believe people should rethink before bringing them to power again," he said.The second World Hindu Congress organised in Chicago, US, marked the commemoration of the 125th anniversary of Swami Vivekananda 's historic speech at the Parliament of the World's Religions in 1893 in Chicago. While addressing a gathering of some 2,500 delegates, Bhagwat said one of the key values to bring the whole world into a team is to have controlled ego and learn to accept the consensus. "Hindus don't live to oppose anybody. We even allow the pests to live. There are people who may oppose us. You have to tackle them without harming them," Bhagwat said.<doc-sep>
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat, speaking at the second World Hindu Congress (WHC) which coincides with the 125th anniversary of Swami Vivekananda’s speech at the Parliament of World Religions in 1893 in Chicago, called on the world's Hindu community to come together in a tighter embrace although it is a 'difficult' task. Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat called on the world's Hindu community to come together, and work as a society despite the differences. Speaking at the second World Hindu Congress (WHC) which coincides with the 125th anniversary of Swami Vivekananda’s speech at the Parliament of World Religions in 1893 in Chicago, Bhagwat said collaboration and "oneness" is the most urgent need for Hindu society to progress. Yet, while pushing for a more abundant territory, Bhagwat used stories from the Mahabharata to explain right-distancing from leadership, obedience, dissent, and patience for results and why it's important to get in line once there's consensus. Rousing welcome for Shri Mohan Bhagwat, RSS Sarsanghchalak at #WHC2018 pic.twitter.com/N3vhvCW9M4 — World Hindu Congress (@WHCongress) September 7, 2018 Bhagwat framed "our values" as "universal values, now being called Hindu values". He said Hindu society is home to more "meritorious people" but "we don't work together". He further said, "In initial days of our work, when our karkyakartas (workers) used to talk to the Hindus about organising them, they used to say 'sher kabhi jhund mein nahi chalta' (a lion never walks in a group). But even that lion or a royal Bengal tiger who is the king of the jungle, if he is alone, wild dogs can invade and destroy him." "Coming together of the Hindus is in itself a difficult thing," he said, adding the Hindu society has the largest number of meritorious persons. "If you don't dream, nothing is possible", he said. Addressing a 2,500 strong audience in downtown Chicago, Bhagwat, speaking in English, said Hindu society must not sit back smugly because of say, mega events like the World Hindu Congress where he was speaking. "Only our opponents know about this. Many of our own people don't know about it. Why are we suffering for thousand years? We had everything and we knew everything. We forgot to practise what we knew. We also forgot to work together,” he said. Why are we suffering from 1000 years? We had everything but forgot to practise our values - Sri Mohan Bhagwat at #WHC2018 pic.twitter.com/Xxr3D7jPcD — World Hindu Congress (@WHCongress) September 7, 2018 Bhagwat peppered his speech with generous doses of Sanskrit couplets to drive home his central point: scale comes with collaboration but above all, "spirituality" must be the driving force and idealism is a force for the good. Very briefly, Bhagwat touched directly on politics just once in his talk: "Politics must be fought like politics, but do it without changing yourself," he said. Without taking names or bestowing context, Bhagwat drew parallels in the relationship between Krishna and Yudhishtira in the Mahabharata saying how Krishna never "contradicted" Yudhishtira. "Those who do not subscribe to my opinion are not fools. From your perspective, you are right. What about assimilating all perspectives plus...That's powerful," he said. Bhagwat began and ended his 40-minute speech with copious quotes from the Bhagwat Gita. "Luck follows your efforts," he began. "What are the values, what goals do you have, that should never be forgotten," he added. Bhagwat stressed on teamwork and collaborative effort throughout his talk. "...But they never come together. Coming together of Hindus in itself is a difficult thing, Bhagwat said in his inaugural address to the conference inspired by the Hindu principle 'sumantrite suvikrante' or 'think collectively, achieve valiantly'. “We are both ancient and postmodern. What humanity will need 20 years from now, we are thinking today, we all have to come together. People today are in dire need of our wisdom," he said. Bhagwat compared Hindu society's status quo with a precise moment in the Mahabharata when the Pandavas in exile suddenly found their fortunes turning around. "That is the moment when luck starts performing pradakshinas (circles/ circling) around you," Bhagwat said. Reiterating his call for team effort, the RSS chief said the Hindu society will progress and prosper only when it work as a society, and that some organisations or parties working alone will not suffice.