Bhagwat pushes the envelope, spells out issues of ideology
Views expressed by the RSS chief seem to contradict BJP’s stance
Mohan Bhagwat just concluded a crash course on how to win friends and influence people!
Or so it would seem from the very public display of the socalled liberal and progressive credentials by the chief of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) or the National Volunteer Organisation — the ideological mentor of India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata party (BJP).
Here is a quick glance at the professed RSS policies as explained by Bhagwat, compared to the positions of the BJP:
MINORITIES
Bhagwat battled hard at the conclave to portray a liberal RSS, commenting that the aim of the organisation was to bring together the entire society. “Hindutva [Hinduness] means inclusivity and accepting Muslims is a part of it. Hindu Rashtra [Hindu Nation] doesn’t mean there’s no place for Muslims. If we don’t accept Muslims, it’s not Hindutva,” he said.
HOW THE BJP SEES IT: With increasing cases of violence against minorities and often public denunciation of them by a section of BJP leaders, the RSS position is in marked contrast to the BJP.
COW VIGILANTES
While pitching for the protection of cows, Bhagwat criticised those who break the law in the name of cow vigilantism. The issue cropped up in the conclave in the backdrop of lynching by cow vigilantes in several states.
HOW THE BJP SEES IT: Most senior BJP leaders have been eerily silent on the issue, while some have even appeared to felicitate vigilantes.
POLITICS OF POLARISATION
Bhagwat clarified that politics should be aimed for the welfare of people — and power is the mere medium for it, not the other way round. “Shamshan [Hindu crematorium], Kabristan [Muslim graveyard], saffron terror all these issues ... crop up when politics is practised for power and not for welfare of people,” he said.
HOW THE BJP SEES IT: Prime Minister Narendra Modi had used the words “Shamshan, Kabristan” during his election campaign in Uttar Pradesh last year. The critique from Bhagwat is seen to underscore the accusations of politics of power.
INDIA WITHOUT CONGRESS
Bhagwat lashed out at those who demand an India free of opposition parties, notably a “Congress-Mukt Bharat” or Congressfree India. “Those who oppose us are also ours,” he said. He added that the RSS “only supports policies” and whoever implements them automatically gets its support.
HOW THE BJP SEES IT: BJP president Amit Shah and Modi had called for a “Congress-Mukt Bharat” last year, as the party gained in a string of state elections.
After the Indian Supreme Court scrapped Section 377 to decriminalise homosexuality, Bhagwat had said: “Times are changing and society has to take a call on such issues.” He hastened to add that gay rights weren’t the only pressing issue that needed to be debated in India.
HOW THE BJP SEES IT: The party has generally maintained that gay relationships are not “compatible with nature”, while there was no official reaction from the outfit following the court verdict.