On the organisation’s foundation day, Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat spoke on a range of issues on Tuesday, including India-Pakistan tensions and the debate over cow slaughter.
The ongoing unrest in Kashmir, India-Pakistan border tensions and the issue of cow protection -- for which the ruling NDA government has been criticised widely -- was the focus of the annual Dussehra address of the RSS chief who has vowed to root out social discrimination.
Here are top quotes from Bhagwat’s address:
Cow vigilantism
# “There are some people who are dedicated to cow protection, it is part of directive principles of state policy,”
# “Gau rakshaks (cow vigilantes) operate under the law... Gau-rakshaks cannot be compared with those undesirable elements who are raking up the issue of cow –slaughter or spreading unfounded rumours about slaughter. The latter are busy serving their narrow personal or political ends. Nevertheless, the sacred mission of the gau-sevaks would continue and gather momentum.”
Surgical strikes
{{/usCountry}}Surgical strikes
{{/usCountry}}# “The entire world has got the message about the capability of the Indian Army that has reinstated the country’s position; there are limits to one’s endurance.”
Kashmir unrest
# “We all know that the outrage in Kashmir is engineered by the forces across the border.”
#“To rein in the internal and external disruptive forces in the disturbed areas, it is necessary for the Centre and the state government to work in tandem, adopting a common policy, with a definite goal.”
Pakistan-occupied Kashmir
# Entire Kashmir is the integral part of India, including Mirpur, Muzaffarabad and Gilgit-Baltistan.