New Delhi: A two day programme held at Bharat Mandapam in Delhi placed proposals targeting Muslims at the centre of discussions on declaring India a Hindu Rashtra. The event, titled Sanatan Rashtra Sankhanad Mahotsav, took place on December 13 and 14 with involvement from the Union government alongside Hindutva organisations.
The programme was organised by Save Culture Save Bharat Foundation and Sanatan Sanstha, in association with the Union ministry of culture and the Delhi government tourism department. Union ministers Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Shripad Nayak, Sanjay Seth, and Delhi minister Kapil Mishra shared the platform with right wing speakers.
Speakers presented proposals calling for mass conversion of Muslims, population control measures aimed at Muslim communities, curtailment of constitutional rights, and large scale deportations. Several speakers framed these steps as tools for reclaiming a Hindu Rashtra.
Gajendra Singh Shekhawat linked the programme to cultural resurgence and the Ram Mandir project. He praised Sanatan Sanstha for organising the gathering. Kapil Mishra spoke about political conditions enabling such events and drew sharp contrasts between Hindu culture and Muslim social life, with focus on women and interfaith relations.
BJP leader Ashwini Upadhyay accused Muslims of demographic imbalance, illegal voting, forced conversions, and social disorder. He promoted ghar wapsi drives and dilution of constitutional equality. Sudarshan News owner Suresh Chavhanke raised population fears and urged legal restrictions, NRC implementation, and deportation of alleged infiltrators.
Other speakers, including Pramod Muthalik, called for mosque reclamation and coercive state action. The programme promoted an exclusionary vision of nationhood. Government logos and ministerial presence lent institutional legitimacy to rhetoric questioning India’s secular foundations.
Organisers described the Mahotsav as a cultural exercise. Sanatan Sanstha claimed participation from over 3,000 delegates representing more than 800 Hindu groups nationwide.
