Togadia advocates Hindu unity after reuniting with RSS

New Delhi: Firebrand Hindutva leader Dr Pravin Togadia who resigned from the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), back in 2018 after his relationship with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and Prime Minister Narendra Modi soured, made a surprising visit to the RSS headquarters on October 12 after a six-year long wait.
During his meeting with RSS supremo Dr Mohan Bhagwat, he had a long discussion on Hindu unity, construction of Ram Mandir, the way ahead and the plight of Hindus abroad. Togadia, who is professionally a cancer surgeon based in Ahmedabad and a former Swayamsevak, said, “I met Dr Bhagwat after almost seven years. The last time we met was way back in 2017. After my resignation as the international working president of VHP, I founded the Antar Rashtriya Hindu Parishad (AHP) for the welfare and safety of Hindus.” On the plight of Hindus in Bangladesh, Pakistan, United States, United Kingdom, Canada and others, he said, “No one can deny the fact that Hindus are still being targeted and persecuted. We are seeing what is happening in Bangladesh. Time has come now to unite all the local Hindus there and to put pressure on the government through democratic means for the welfare and safety of all Hindus.”
He also said that they also discussed the division of the Hindu society on the caste lines. Togadia said that the Ram Mandir movement was an important part of uniting Hindus across the caste lines. And because of “that Hindu unity, the BJP came to power twice, that too with a majority.”
However, in 2024, BJP failed to secure a majority and dropped to 240 seats. Togadia attributed this to Hindus reverting to voting along caste lines that created a division amongst the Hindu voters.
“Despite the construction of Ram Mandir which was a historic moment for all the Hindus, BJP failed to secure a majority, and the prime reason behind this was the division of votes along caste lines”, he said.
“Time has come to unite Hindus and especially the poor. Ram Mandir has been constructed, now we should think about the future. Now what’s next! And the only way ahead is to create unity amongst Hindus, whether it be Brahmins, Kshatriyas or others”, he noted.
He emphasised that if Shia and Sunni can come together amidst the ongoing conflict in West Asia, then why shouldn’t Hindus unite and set aside their differences?
“Now the focus should be given to the economic upliftment of the Hindus- especially the poor, lower strata and on safety of women and their empowerment. Until and unless, the economic aspirations of Hindus are not taken care of, there would always be a problem in uniting them”, he said.
He also noted that during his meeting Bhagwat, issues related to political credibility were also discussed. He stated that Hindus have united socially, culturally, and politically, successfully bringing the BJP to power twice with a majority. However, even after the construction of the Ram Mandir, the party struggled to secure a majority again due to concerns about the political credibility of some leaders.
Togadia also met Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari. He said that they are old friends and discussed nothing at the political level.
It is pertinent to note here that Togadia has had a long association of nearly four decades with VHP and RSS. He was considered a close friend of PM Modi when he was the Chief Minister of Gujarat. Both were credited for giving the rise to BJP in Gujarat. When Shankersinh Vaghela, a rebel BJP leader became the Chief Minister with Congress support, he jailed Togadia. But Modi campaigned for his release. Later, when Togadia was appointed as General Secretary of VHP, he supported Modi when he was being sidelined by Keshubhai Patel, and helped him become Chief Minister of Gujarat in 2001.
“When all this was happening, I was even then in touch with Modi. We were close friends and he used to regularly visit my home and we used to eat food together”, he said.
But post 2002, as Modi distanced himself from Togadia and his influence waned, their friendship took a toll and finally, he parted ways with the RSS in 2018.
On mending ties with RSS and PM Modi, he said, “I don’t want to go into the past. Time has passed away and there’s no need to revisit the past. I had a long association with RSS and PM Modi and I am ready to mend ties for the safety and unity of Hindus.”