“To say that nationalism and Hindutva are one and the same is the new blind belief,” actor Prakash Rai said in Belagavi on Wednesday.
“Some vested interests are spreading this new blind belief. We should guard ourselves against this,” he said during the anti-blind belief day at the Sadashiva Nagar graveyard.
“A Union Minister has asserted this in the Dharma Samsad held recently in Udupi. This is nothing but an attempt at infusing the new blind belief that nationalism is Hindutva. We are susceptible to blind belief as we are innocent. Our awareness levels were low. Now we need to educate ourselves about the designs of such interests. Looking at the crowd, I felt that there is still hope. Now I see that there are a lot of healthy people in this country. The fight against blind belief can still go on strong,” he said.
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Mr. Rai called for young people to adapt the ideologies preached by thinkers like Ambedkar. He spoke of some threats he received after he spoke against right-wing forces. “I am not afraid. I do not need police security. I am among the people. If anybody does something to me, they will be exposed. However, I am worried and afraid for the society. But then we should stand up to them. They are cowards. They will be defeated.”
On being outspoken, he said that he was a creature of society and was only paying back to it.
Former Minister Satish Jarkiholi; Purushottam Bilimale, JNU Kannada research centre’s director; activists K. Neela and Anant Nayak; and Sri Sharana Devaru, seer of Hukkeri Math, were present.
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December 6 was chosen for the event as it marks not only the death anniversary of Dr. Ambedkar and Nelson Mandela, but also the anniversary of the demolition of the Babri Masjid, said Wilfred D’Souza, convenor of the event. He said that all pro-people ideologies had to be discussed and implemented in our lives. He asked Ambedkarites not to oppose Gandhian ideals.