BHOPAL: In a significant development, the Bajrang Dal (associated outfit of ruling BJP’s parent body RSS) has started holding combat and arms training camps for its new entrants in poll-bound Madhya Pradesh – to enable them to deal “rashtra-drohis” (anti-nationals).
The list of “anti-nationals” for combating whom these camps are being organized, include the Azadi gang of JNU, those indulgent in “Love Jihad” and elements allegedly indulgent in cow smuggling and slaughter.
The latest such camp, a nine-day camp was held earlier this month in Biora town of Rajgarh district (115 km from Bhopal), while a similar camp is planned for new Bajrang Dal activists elsewhere in the state next month.
The nine-day camp at Biora (Rajgarh) saw 118 Bajrang Dal activists getting trained in self-defence/combat skills through grounding in Karate and Lathi combat, which is termed by the saffron brigade as “Dand-Yuddh.”
The camp also saw the young saffron outfit activists get trained in shooting skills through target practice with air guns, besides grounding in crossing of hurdles like monkey-rope and crawling through bunkers. Entire training was imparted by seasoned Bajrang Dal trainers only.
“This camp is not new in the country, but is part of our annual training exercise (Prashikshan Varg) which has been underway nationally since 1984 to make new entrants in Bajrang Dal physically and mentally strong,” said Bajrang Dal prant samanvayak Devisingh Sisodiya.
“Through these camps we’re also preparing our Dal’s cadres to deal with new threats from anti-nationals active within the country, including the Bharat tere tukde honge-leke rahenge azadi gang of JNU, those indulging in Love-Jihad and cow smuggling-cow slaughter. We’re training our cadres to deal with such anti-nationals in the language which such people understand,” said Sisodiya.
When questioned as to whether permission was sought from local administration for holding the nine-day camp, where the young saffron cadres were trained in target shooting, the Bajrang Dal leader said “we don’t need any administrative-police clearance for our training camp, particularly as we’re not at all using weapons for which permission is required. Do the terrorists waging a war against the country or those dealing in illegal arms have prior official permission to carry out their anti-national activities. We’re only training our nationalist cadres in guarding the country and society, what’s the need to have permission for it,” questioned Sisodiya.
While the ruling BJP rendered a guarded response over the development, the opposition Congress was quick to question the efficiency of government agencies per se the Bajrang Dal training camp.
“If the camp was only aimed at grounding in self-defence skills it’s alright, but if the exercise included training through illegal weapons, then the law will take its own course in the matter,” said Madhya Pradesh BJP spokesperson Rajnish Agrawal on Sunday.
The state Congress spokesperson Pankaj Chaturvedi questioned the efficiency of the central and state government agencies over the holding of such arms training camps by the saffron outfit in Bhopal’s neighbourhood. “Arms training to Bajrang Dal cadres sans any administrative-police clearance puts under cloud the effectiveness and efficiency of the central and state government agencies. Further, if Bajrang Dal is holding training camps to combat anti-nationals, then it becomes crystal clear that their own government at the centre and in states has failed to do their job of checking anti-national activities in the country,” said Chaturvedi.