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                    "On September 7, when striking staff at the Eiffel Tower in Paris shut down one of the most visited tourist attractions in the world, it put a little-known sect from India, the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha or BAPS, in the global spotlight.\nA delegation of monks from the Gujarat-based BAPS had, on September 5, asked for women staff at the Eiffel Tower to be kept away from the premises since their monks, who practice celibacy, do not interact with women. This blatant gender discrimination sparked outrage not just in France but internationally.\nBAPS is close to\u00a0India\u2019s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), with Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself promoting the sect and the establishment of its lavish temples abroad. The sprawling Akshardham temples in Ahmedabad in Gujarat and in New Delhi are regularly visited by foreign dignitaries, devotees, and tourists.\nSignificantly, the BAPS delegation in France was there in connection with the inauguration of its Hindu temple on the outskirts of Paris in Bussy-Saint-Georges on September 6. The largest of its kind in Europe, the temple was inaugurated by Modi virtually through video conferencing. Modi had described the event as a milestone in France-India cultural ties. The Indian ambassador to France had attended the inauguration in Paris.\nThe Indian Ministry of External Affairs stated that it was aware of the controversy over BAPS\u2019 \u201cno women\u201d diktat, but \u201cnot involved.\u201d\nSeveral Indian women\u2019s groups, including the All India Democratic Women\u2019s Association (AIDWA), have lashed out against BAPS\u2019 misogynist attitude. In a statement, AIDWA said that BAPS is \u201caligned to the RSS,\u201d the ideological mentor of the BJP.\nThe Eiffel Tower is never closed to the public; it is open 365 days of the year, per its website.\nSo, when the CGT French Trade Union at the Eiffel went on strike on September 7, it underscored the anger of the staff. In a statement, the trade union protested against their female employees being \u201csidelined, replaced and rendered invisible on the basis of their gender.\u201d\nThe strike caught the attention and full support of the public. In fact, the backlash against this conservative sect cut across political parties in France. Marine Le Pen, a far-right leader, condemned BAPS\u2019 demand, saying, \u201cIn France, we will never accept that the presence of women be \u2018limited.\u2019\u201d\u00a0 France\u2019s equality minister said that \u201cno dogma, no religion is above the laws of the (French) Republic.\u201d The mayor of Paris, Emmanuel Gregoire, extended full support to the striking staff and has ordered an investigation into the incident.\nThe controversy has drawn attention to BAPS. BAPS describes itself as a \u201csocio-spiritual\u201d Hindu religious organization founded in 1907 by Shastriji Maharaj in Gujarat. It is a part of the Swaminarayan-Vaishnavite tradition in Hinduism.\nThe organization is akin to a powerful religious empire with considerable political clout. It has a strong following among wealthy Gujaratis living abroad, especially the Patels, and receives massive donations from them. The Patidar community, to which the Patels belong, has long been strong supporters of the BJP.\nThe public at large is more familiar with its construction of massive temples in India and abroad than with the sect\u2019s beliefs. In 2024, Modi inaugurated its temple in Abu Dhabi, the first in a Gulf nation, during his visit to the UAE. The organization has temples in the U.S., the U.K., South Africa, and Australia.\nIncidentally, this is not the first time that BAPS has courted controversy. In 2023, BAPS inaugurated a $96 million, 180-acre temple in Robbinsville, New Jersey. Two years earlier, workers had filed a lawsuit accusing BAPS of bringing them into the U.S. on religious visas, confiscating their passports and making them work for 12 hours each day at $1.20 per hour. The allegations also involved caste-based abuse, as several of the workers were lower-caste Dalits. BAPS denied the allegations, and per the New York Times, the case is still pending in U.S. courts.\nFollowing the controversy in Paris, questions are being raised about BAPS\u2019 links with the BJP and how massive tracts of land were granted to the organization. It benefited from its proximity to Modi.\nIndeed, Modi became close to BAPS long before he became Gujarat\u2019s chief minister. He has publicly stated that his relationship with BAPS\u2019 spiritual leader, the late Pramukh Swami Maharaj, was \u201cakin to that of a father and son.\u201d\nThe Modi government has used BAPS in India\u2019s \u201ccultural diplomacy\u201d abroad; Indian ambassadors regularly attend its events. Indian diplomatic missions are at the forefront of promoting BAPS as the Hindu version of India. Although the MEA chose to distance itself from the recent controversy, BAPS is perceived as the official brand of India abroad.\nIn the wake of the controversy, the France chapter of BAPS said that \u201cno visitor or member of staff was denied access to the monument at any point during our visit.\u201d It \u201capologized for any pain or inconvenience caused.\u201d\nIt is not without reason that the larger Indian diaspora, the Indian Alliance Paris, for instance, is apprehensive of the anti-immigrant backlash that the BAPS incident might trigger. In a statement on X, @paris_alliance, a collective of Indian students, activists, and researchers in Paris, said that \u201cBAPS does not represent all Hindus and it certainly does not represent India.\u201d Describing BAPS as the \u201cHindu Right wing,\u201d it urged that the incident not become fodder for more racism against Indians.\nThe controversy has generated criticism at home as well, not only from opposition parties but also social media users, who have pointed out that the incident has embarrassed all Indians by portraying Hindus abroad as misogynists and regressive people."
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