Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat on Tuesday said that the organisation’s vision of a “Hindu Rashtra” was neither against anyone nor meant to exclude any community, The Indian Express reported.
“When we talk about Hindu Rashtra, questions are raised,” the newspaper quoted Bhagwat as saying. “When we say Hindu Rashtra, we do not mean we are going to leave out anyone…or we are opposed to anyone. The Sangh is not like that.”
The RSS, the parent organisation of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, has faced criticism from its opponents for projecting India as a “Hindu Rashtra” or a Hindu nation.
Bhagwat was speaking at the opening of a three-day centenary lecture series organised by the RSS, during which he will outline the organisation’s views on India and its future.
He said that the idea of a Hindu Rashtra could not be understood through the Western concept of a nation-state, the Hindustan Times reported.
It has nothing to do with politics or power, but is egalitarian and does not differentiate on the basis of religion or language, he claimed.
“Whenever there has been a rule with the prominence of Hindu Rashtra, it has not been one concerned with religion and faith,” The Indian Express quoted him as saying. “Everyone has equal justice in it, no discrimination at all.”
Suggesting that all those living in India were Hindus because of their common ancestry and shared culture, the RSS chief said: “We do not believe that to stay united we need to be uniform. Even diversity has unity.”
“But we tend to solve easier questions first in an exam,” The Indian Express quoted him as saying. “So, organise those who are calling themselves Hindus, make their lives better. After that, those who are not calling themselves Hindus for some reason will start saying so. And that has started happening.”
Bhagwat added that the Hindu traditions were rooted in diversity and inclusivity.
“Do not try to change others and have faith in your own…Accept the other, do not insult them. Do not fight over the way [of prayer]…those who follow this are Hindus,” the Hindustan Times quoted him as saying.
Bhagwat also talked about the Sangh’s independent identity and separation from the BJP-led government, saying that while discussions were held on “achar, vichar, sanskar”, or conduct, ideology and values, it did not impose its views on anyone.
Bhagwat did not name any organisation, but the remarks were seen as an attempt to underline the independence of the BJP. The RSS is not directly involved in electoral politics but is viewed as having an influence on the Hindutva party’s political strategy and policy making to an extent.
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