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Opposition remains sceptical of Sangh’s minority outreach
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat’s statement at a book launch on Sunday, that Hindus and Muslims are one entity and those who believe Muslims have no place in India are not Hindus, perceived to be in line with the Sangh’s ongoing outreach towards the minorities, has failed to cut ice with its political opponents
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat’s statement at a book launch on Sunday, that Hindus and Muslims are one entity and those who believe Muslims have no place in India are not Hindus, perceived to be in line with the Sangh’s ongoing outreach towards the minorities, has failed to cut ice with its political opponents.
The RSS, which is the ideological fount of the Bharatiya Janata Party, has been accused by its opponents of fostering sectarianism and orthodoxy. Over the years, the Sangh, through its affiliates such as the Muslim Rashtriya Manch, has been trying to shed this image.
While Bhagwat’s statement, which carries conciliatory undertones, has been welcomed by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the political arm of the RSS, political opponents of the BJP are not convinced.
Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo, Mayawati for instance, said the RSS does not walk the talk on the issues it raises, and the statement, therefore, carries little weight.
In a statement issued on Monday, she said the government at the Centre, Uttar Pradesh and other states are running on the narrow mindset and principles of the RSS instead of the Indian Constitution. She said there is violence and chaos in society, including in the financial areas. “The statement regarding lynching being against the principle of Hindutava and all people having the same DNA is not trustworthy as BJP and RSS are known for doing the opposite of what they say,” the statement in Hindi said.
All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief, Asaduddin Owaisi, also criticised Bhagwat‘s statement and said those who were involved in lynching may not know the difference between a cow and a buffalo but know enough to kill those with names like Junaid, Akhlaq, Pehlu, Alimuddin - victims of violence by so-called cow vigilantes.
In a series of tweets, Owaisi said, “Alimuddin‘s killers were garlanded by a Union minister, Tricolour was placed over the body of Akhlaq’s killer, a mahapanchayat was convened in support of those who killed Asif where a BJP spokesperson was quoted to have said, ‘can we not even murder’”. Owaisi was referring to the mahapanchayat held in Haryana where villagers came in support of those arrested for lynching Asif Khan.
The BJP, for its part, sees a design in the criticism. Rajya Sabha MP, Rakesh Sinha said “He attacked their (BSP, AIMIM) politics of perception (that BJP is against the minorities) and appeasement, therefore, there is a commonality in their reaction,” he said.
Hailing Bhagwat’s statement as “progressive” he said the Sangh chief’s statement testifies that the ideology does not support violence. “He has started a critical, decisive dialogue wherein he scientifically says conversion does not change nationality, legacy, ancestry and culture,” Sinha said.
Despite the Sangh’s assertions to the contrary, it has been accused by its opponents of propagating a majoritarian sentiment, imposing restrictions on food habits, lifestyle and even on choice of partners in a marriage. The Sangh’s unequivocal support for laws against conversion through coercion in a marriage, or what they term as Love Jihad, is also seen in the context of its hardline views on interfaith marriages.
Bhagwat’s statement reiterating the Sangh’a views on Hindu-Muslim unity is also perceived as an attempt by the RSS to extend an olive branch to the minorities who are present in large numbers in poll-bound states - the Sikhs in Punjab and the Muslims in Uttar Pradesh.
On Sunday, Bhagwat said that if anyone has an objection to being called Hindu, they can opt for Bharatiya (Indian). This is seen as assuaging the Sikhs and the Muslims who have objected to Bhagwat’s earlier stated position that all Indians are Hindus.
The acceptance of using ‘Indian’ instead of ‘Hindu’ is also in the continuation of the Sangh’s earlier stance adopted during Balasahed Deoras’s (third RSS chief) tenure, said a Sangh functionary. “As opposed to (KB) Hedgewar, the first chief who focused on Hindutva, Balasaheb Deoras took a line of Bharatiya instead of Hindutva to accommodate all faiths. He initiated dialogue with Muslims and Christians. There was some discomfort within the Sangh, but the sentiment was carried forward by KS Sudarshan who was the chief before Bhagwat took over,” the Sangh functionary said.
To be sure, in his speech, Bhagwat clarified that his presence at the launch of a book authored by a Muslim is neither an image makeover nor a political outreach ahead of the next set of elections.
“We are not interested in party politics. We have a view, but we are not in anyone’s favour but the country’s favour, we support those who speak for the country. This is not a political exercise or vote bank politics. We can do this (politics), but we won’t,” Bhagwat said.
Sangh watcher Dilip Deodhar said Bhagwat’s speech reflects the Sangh’s view that it does not consider Hinduism as a religious but a civilisational issue. “Sangh does not want Hindusim to be seen as a religious activity. In 2018, Bhagwat clarified as much and even said how the Sangh has moved on from the Bunch of Thoughts (by MS Golwalkar) categorising the Muslims, Christians and Communists as enemies,” Deodhar said.
