By Apoorvanand
RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat should ponder why, when he says something noble, his followers remain silent while others laugh. Hearing words such as love, harmony and peace from the RSS chief, his followers tell each other that this is not meant for us, this is for the consumption of a gullible world that believes in these values. Others say that words such as these, coming from Bhagwat, have no value because these people cannot be trusted. In his own term as RSS chief, he has made similar statements on a number of occasions: but his organisations work in just the opposite direction.
In fact, whenever he speaks of love and harmony, there is a new upsurge in hatred and violence. From his own people. Do they not pay heed to him? If so, where is his authority? Or are the violent people outside the fold of RSS? Which means it no longer has control over the Hindutvavadis. Then why should he be taken seriously at all?
The history of RSS, however, reveals how one of its faces is turned towards the world while the other, towards its own people. RSS cadres garland statues of Gandhi, but hold the conspirator and executioner of his assassination as their ideal. Can RSS officials, or Lal Krishna Advani or even Prime Minister Narendra Modi, dare, anywhere outside India, to declare fascists such as Golwalkar as their ideological father and Savarkar their most revered figure? Whichever country RSS supporters go to, they are welcomed as people from the land of Gandhi and they are made to bow before his statue.
RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat should ponder why, when he says something noble, his followers remain silent while others laugh. Hearing words such as love, harmony and peace from the RSS chief, his followers tell each other that this is not meant for us, this is for the consumption of a gullible world that believes in these values. Others say that words such as these, coming from Bhagwat, have no value because these people cannot be trusted. In his own term as RSS chief, he has made similar statements on a number of occasions: but his organisations work in just the opposite direction.
In fact, whenever he speaks of love and harmony, there is a new upsurge in hatred and violence. From his own people. Do they not pay heed to him? If so, where is his authority? Or are the violent people outside the fold of RSS? Which means it no longer has control over the Hindutvavadis. Then why should he be taken seriously at all?
The history of RSS, however, reveals how one of its faces is turned towards the world while the other, towards its own people. RSS cadres garland statues of Gandhi, but hold the conspirator and executioner of his assassination as their ideal. Can RSS officials, or Lal Krishna Advani or even Prime Minister Narendra Modi, dare, anywhere outside India, to declare fascists such as Golwalkar as their ideological father and Savarkar their most revered figure? Whichever country RSS supporters go to, they are welcomed as people from the land of Gandhi and they are made to bow before his statue.
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Despite this dichotomy, honourable words have their own weight. Therefore, when Bhagwat said that the campaign to convert mosques into temples should stop, everyone welcomed it. This came after a wave of claims over mosques and other sacred places of Muslims, and seemed like a relief to the community. But no RSS supporter wishes that Bhagwat’s words are followed by the RSS network.
Bhagwat stated that after the construction of the Ram temple, if anyone believed that by fanning communal flames he would become the leader of Hindus, he is wrong. He appeared upset with the temple-discovery drive. He added that Indians have been living in harmony for long, and that everyone has the right to worship in their own way; that nothing should be done to disturb peace and harmony.
Bhagwat’s statement has been welcomed by all those who are generally critical of or opposed to the RSS. Because, at least this time, he was saying the right thing. But is it surprising that his own people have remained cold to his suggestions? No official of his political wing, the BJP, or the Vishwa Hindu Parishad or the Bajrang Dal, has welcomed Bhagwat’s words on peace and love. What does this mean?
This story was originally published in frontline.thehindu.com. Read the full story here.
