Shah conveys PM’s ‘Hare Krishna’ message, lauds Matua reformers

Mayapur/Kolkata: Union home minister Amit Shah on Wednesday lauded the contribution of Matua community icons Harichand Thakur and Guruchand Thakur, while addressing a gathering at Mayapur. He also highlighted the contribution of the Matua community in taking society forward."Harichand Thakur, Guruchand Thakur and the Matua society took the idea of social welfare forward. They united society," he said, pointing to the role Harichand Thakur played against untouchability and in promoting education and gender equality within the community. Harichand Thakur established the Matua community and challenged the caste system. He fought against the oppression of Namashudras, and that gave birth to the Chandal movement in the 19th century.
The home minister's remarks were seen as an attempt at reaching out to the Matua Mahasangha, an influential community in large parts of southern Bengal, ahead of the assembly polls. Shah, who did not touch upon issues related to SIR, sent a message of solidarity with the community, Bengal BJP netas felt.BJP sources said the minister's brief visit to Mayapur, a major centre of Vaishnavism, was religious in nature, and not linked to politics. Shah went to Mayapur on the occasion of the 152nd birth anniversary of Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati, the founder of 64 Gaudiya Maths in India and abroad. He praised Vaishnava saint Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati in uniting Hindu society and spoke at length on the Bhakti movement.The minister said that while Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu spread the Bhakti movement in the eastern and north-eastern parts of India, Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati linked it with modernity. His disciple Bhaktivedanta Prabhupada helped globalise Gaudiya Vaishnavism and founded ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness).While addressing the gathering, Shah said that he came to the programme not as Union home minister, but as a devotee, and conveyed the "Hare Krishna" message from PM Narendra Modi to those present. "Whenever a foreign guest visits Modiji, he presents him a copy of Bhagavad Gita. The epicentre of the Bhakti movement was in Nadia and will spread in the days to come. I am sure we will be able to send the message of Viksit Bharat and Sanatan (dharma) to the entire world," Shah said."Brothers and sisters, you respectfully referred to me as India's home minister, but I did not come here in that capacity. I came here as a devoted follower of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu," Shah said, adding that he long wished to visit Mayapur but circumstances delayed the trip. He said the global reach of the ISKCON movement became possible because of the contributions of Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur and AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.(Written with agency inputs)18_Kol_SS_Rohit Amit Shah