New Delhi: BJP leader Kapil Mishra has been urging people to join a ‘Hindu Ecosystem’ team by circulating a Google form on social media platforms. On Tuesday, Mishra claimed that 18,000 people have already signed up for it and they will be contacted via SMS and email after two days.
He earlier claimed that 5,000 people had joined the team within three hours of the form’s release.
One of the questions in the form asks respondents if they have any special area of interests such as “gauraksha, gausewa, fight ‘love jihad’, ghar wapasi, halal, mandir nirmal, Hindu ekta, sewa in general”.
The form also asks for personal information such as a respondent’s full name, address, mobile number and profession. The last section is a declaration; by clicking yes, a respondent commits to joining the ‘Hindu Ecosystem’ team.
Naveen Kumar, head of the Delhi BJP’s media cell, however told ThePrint that the party has no knowledge of Mishra’s initiative.
Mishra had courted controversy earlier this year in February for raising an inflammatory slogan — ‘goli maaro saalo ko’ — at a pro-Citizenship Amendment Act rally in northeast Delhi’s Jaffrabad. He was also accused of triggering the communal riots that broke out later that month in the national capital, in which over 50 people were killed.
Earlier this month, Mishra was detained by Delhi Police while staging a protest against the arrest of Republic TV Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami.
Also read: The incredible impunity of Kapil Mishra
Members to work ‘on ground, social media and in courts’
On Sunday, Mishra tweeted that he will be sharing the registration form for the “Hindu Ecosystem” team at 9 am Monday — “on the day of bhai dooj”. His tweet received over 28,000 likes, with some users calling it a “great initiative” and others saying that it can help improve “connectivity” among Hindus. One user also called it a “much-needed initiative“.
Though the responsibilities of the “Hindu Ecosystem” team are not clear, Mishra has said that members will work on the ground, on social media and “in courts” in the name of “dharma and for each other”.
Twitter users such as Hussain Haidry, a spoken word poet, writer and lyricist, have criticised the initiative.
Lacs of jobs created here to reduce unemployment in the country, please apply. ??? pic.twitter.com/k0dt0FXTNW
— Hussain Haidry (@hussainhaidry) November 16, 2020
Independent journalist and Jamia alumna Zoya Rasul suggested that this was an attempt to repeat what happened during the Delhi riots.
Kapil Mishra is seeking to upgrade his whatsapp groups which came handy to carry out Delhi pogroms. This time one gets to choose from specialised violent causes. Of course this is all legal. pic.twitter.com/6sOZwqgQlP
— Zoya Rasul (@zoyarasul) November 16, 2020
Others have accused Mishra of recruiting foot soldiers to create a lynch mob.
Dude. They are 'recruiting' willing foot soldiers to create a lynch mob. That's ???
— Kiran/کرن/किरण (@Chivas_Desi) November 17, 2020
Another called it a “Nazi recruitment”.
Kapil Mishra is beckoning a “Hindu Ecosystem” team, something that we know will be abusive and violent. Yes, they will be abusive to you for calling them that. Nazi recruitment is here, all masks dropped.
थू, Kapil Mishra, थू! pic.twitter.com/k8FinKtnx9
— Anuradha Exwaized (@anuradhaxyz) November 16, 2020
With inputs from Shanker Arnimesh
Also read: Delhi Police’s riots charge sheet is a parody scripted to prove the Boss is always right