Does the RSS want to unite the entire Hindu society as a monolithic structure that votes unitedly and possibly in its favour so that it can rule the country perpetually? Or does it want to eradicate caste system that has plagued the country and forced a sizeable population to live under sub-human conditions for centuries? Or is it just an opportunistic approach to hoodwink the people after the BJP failed to get a majority of its own and was pushed to 240 seats in the Lok Sabha Election 2024, despite raising the slogan of ‘abki baar, 400 paar’ (this time, beyond 400)?
Inclusiveness For Political Maneuver?
When the ‘sarsanghchalak’ (chief) of the Rashtriya Swamyamsevak Sangh (RSS) reached out to the Dalits and asked the Hindu society to eradicate caste divisions, these questions were naturally raised. In an attempt to attract the Dalits who had earlier voted against the saffron party before the BJP succeeded in making inroads into the community in the name of Hindutva, Mohan Bhagwat urged the Hindu society to reach out to the downtrodden segments.
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He said, “Our diversity has become such that we have even divided our saints and deities. Why should Valmiki Jayanti be celebrated only in the Valmiki colony? Valmiki wrote the Ramayana for the entire Hindu society. So, all should celebrate Valmiki Jayanti and Ravidas Jayanti together. The entire Hindu society should celebrate all festivals together.”
Is Bhima Koregaon Still Relevant?
This is the same party, the supporters of which have been accused of attacking the Dalits openly in the Koregaon Bhima area on January 1, 2018, in which one person died and several others were injured. An audio clip of a phone call that went viral after the January 1 violence in Koregaon Bhima and a video of a group of persons holding saffron flags near a temple in Vadhu Budruk village.
Congress Pushes For Caste Census
The call for diversity has come after the Congress Party pushed for a caste census and its leader Rahul Gandhi moved one step further by asking the ruling party if it could increase the upper limit of reservation.
Move To Counter Congress?
Prime Minister Narendra Modi countered the Gandhi scion by declaring on November 30, 2023, that among all the castes, the poor, the youth, women, and farmers were the biggest for him. He indicated clearly that the Dalits, the OBC, and the SC/ST were non-existent for him. The BJP also refused to add caste columns in the next census arguing that the Constitution does not allow it as there is no provision in the Indian Constitution.
Mohan Bhagwat also batted for unity in diversity by saying that, “Languages can be diverse, cultures can be diverse, food can be diverse, but this friendship of individuals and families will bring harmony in society.” This is the same person who earlier indirectly justified the Hindu aggression.
‘Hindu Society Has Been At War’
In an interview with ‘Organiser’ and ‘Panchajanya’, published on January 10, 2023, the RSS chief said that the aggression among Hindus is a result of their awakening to the reality that they have been at war for over a thousand years. He said, “Hindu society has been at war for over 1000 years – this fight has been going on against foreign aggressions, foreign influence, and foreign conspiracies. Sangh has offered its support to this cause, and so have others. Many have spoken about it. And it is because of all these that the Hindu society has awakened. It is but natural for people those at war to be aggressive.”
PM Modi Targets Rahul Gandhi
The RSS’s political maneuver can also be understood by the fact that PM Modi recently said in an election rally in Haryana that the Congress would never allow a Dalit, tribal, or OBC to become PM. He added that when Dalits, tribesmen or OBCs acquire power and posts, they squirm.
The RSS chief also attacked the rival political parties without naming them when he said, “If petty selfish interests in society become more important than mutual harmony or the unity and integrity of the nation; or if the harmony of society and the pride and integrity of the nation are considered secondary in the competition among parties, then in such party politics, their modus operandi is to stand in support of one party and advance their destructive agenda in the name of ‘Alternative Politics’. These words are not for unity in diversity or inclusiveness.
