Hindu party or front likely by year-end: Swamy

New York, Aug 16: Janata Party President Subramanian Swamy has expressed optimism that a new political party or front, championing the cause of Hindus, will emerge in India within the next four or five months.

''I hope, by the end of this year, a party or a combination of parties will take shape,'' Dr Swamy told in a brief interview on the sidelines of a Hindu community meeting in New York organised over the weekend to mark the anniversary of Chhatrapati Shivaji's coronation.

The meeting, attended by representatives of several community organisations and individuals, adopted a resolution urging Dr Swamy to pursue the issue of uniting all like-minded parties and individuals in India in forming such an outfit.

''I have been asked to take the lead in the matter. A consensus will have to be evolved on issues like policies and the leadership .

I will only try to felicitate such a party or entity, '' he said.

According to Dr Swamy, two possibilities are currently being discussed - the Bharatiya Janata Party will be reconstituted so as to adopt a Hindu-oriented action plan with the specific backing of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), or like-minded parties forming a unified party or front to fight the Hindu cause.

''As far as my Janata Party is concerned, we have already adopted a Hindu agenda in Tamil Nadu. We have had no difficulty in doing so,'' he noted.

''Vishwa Hindu Parishad is already onboard,'' Dr Swamy added.

The former central minister said Hindu dharma acharyas (religious teachers) led by Swami Dayanand Saraswati have to come out openly in this regard. Equally important is the cooperation of RSS, which is yet to take a policy decision, he said.

Dr Swamy said the likely policies of the new outfit would be the inclusion in history books the fact that all Indians are indigenous people, caste has no social relevance, compulsory Sanskrit learning, Hindi may continue its current pre-eminent position but its vocabulary would be more Sanskritised, national law barring conversion from Hinduism, which also allows to take Muslims and Christians back into its fold.

''The principles of secularism and democracy will continue.

Except during the Ashoka period, India has never been a theocratic state,'' ''Dr Swamy added.

Market economy with a safety net, linking of rivers and boost to agriculture are among other likely policies of the new entity, Dr Swamy said.

On terrorism, he said, camps conducting training should be bombed wherever they are, including those in neighbouring countries. ''We must retaliate against terror. It should be handled with a retaliatory power of the state,'' the Janata Party chief observed.

UNI