Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh under the stewardship of Mohan Bhagwat has completely
transformed; from an NGO claiming to undertake social work to a political outfit. Obviously
with this modification the basic approach of the RSS to the prevailing issues and ideas have
also undergone significant variation. The first such variation is witnessed in RSS making a
surreptitious shift on the issue of deification of an individual.
RSS has been sturdily opposed to the concept and policy of creating the visible personality
cult within BJP and the government. But speech of Mohan Bhagwat delivered on the
occasion of celebration of Shastra puja and observing the Dussehra utsav, explicitly
underlined that for protecting its stake in the politics and for enjoying the benefits of the
power, it has conveniently shifted its alignment to worshiping the individual and giving
greater space to him than the organisation. This is nothing but the worst form of dilution of
the RSS’s Hindutva policy.
This dichotomy got clearly manifest in the change of approach and attitude towards the Modi
and his government. Only three days back to the Dussehra celebration, the powerful general
secretary, Hosabole, next to Bhagwat in the organisation, had openly reprimanded the Modi
government for its non-performance. But in sharp contrast Bhagwat urged the RSS rank and
file to look at the Modi government as the harbinger of change and taking New India into a
new future.
Nonetheless this nature of varied opinion raises the question about the dilution of the so
called “ideological” posture of the RSS, it also points to vertical split in the hierarchy of the
organisation on the issue of extending support to Modi. It gives the impression that all office
bearers are not in sync to the notion and ideas nursed by Bhagwat. No doubt this split in the
RSS will question its credibility and moral authority. In fact the RSS suffering with this
malaise has been visible in Modi ‘s adventure of violating its directives and working against
the set policies.
The RSS chief is also known for his double speak. In the past he had said the DNA of
Hindus and Muslims are same; the Muslims are the part of the Indian society and Muslims
do not face any threat. But he never tried to give a shape to his sermons. The fact is RSS
continues to treat the minorities and Muslims as the second class citizens.
Even on the occasion of Dussehra celebration in Nagpur, in a discreet manner in his speech,
he tried to convey that the Muslims have been posing threat to the country. He said that
community-based population imbalance is an important subject and should not be ignored.
What does it imply? RSS has always been accusing Muslims of not checking the birth rate.
It has also been using this to scare the Hindus that the days are not far when the Hindus will
turn minority in their own homeland. Bhagwat’s speech belies the demographic findings
which say that both Hindu and Muslim population has been under check.
This is the second time in a row that the perceived population imbalance has figured
prominently in the annual Vijaya Dashami speech of Bhagwat. He virtually goaded the
Narendra Modi government to come up with a population policy. The difference between the
Hindu and Muslim total fertility rates, which 30 years ago was 1.1, has come down to 0.3
since Muslims are adopting family planning much faster than the Hindus. Despite this
Bhagwat flagged the issue raising the fear of the country’s division.
In this regard the remarks of the AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi ought to be mentioned; “If
Hindus & Muslims have same DNA then where’s the imbalance? There is no need for
population control as we’ve already achieved replacement rate. Muslims have sharpest
decline in fertility rate.” True enough Bhagwat has taken a leaf out of the incidents that have
been happening around the world. He has been encouraging fear-mongering over
population.
Raising concerns over inequality, he said “unless temples, water sources and cremation
grounds are open to all Hindus, till such time the talk of equality will be a mere pipe dream”.
But this again was a tactical ploy to hide behind the façade of equality. Significantly he
confessed that Hindus have their rights. What does it imply? Obviously it is a part of RSS
design to deny the status of Dalits and adivasis and bring them into the fold of Hindus. It is a
known fact that the Hindus believing in RSS philosophy has been primarily responsible for
denigrating the minorities and Dalits and denying them the basic rights.
One of the significant remark that Bhagwat made was about empowering women. But it is a
deplorable narrative that the women are the most ill treated section in the states ruled by
BJP, the political arm of RSS. In fact Uttar Pradesh tops the list of repression against women
in the country. People are yet to forget the gruesome incidents of killing of women in
Hathras, Ujjain and Lakhimpur. He also laid emphasis on women’s empowerment and said a
society cannot progress without women. But this was simply an attempt to whitewash the
misdeeds of the Modi government. A clean chit from RSS will help Modi refurbish the image
of his government. He did not name the places where women were burnt, killed and raped,
but he did not forget to mention “horrific and grisly incidents” occurred in Udaipur and some
other places. He said what happened in Udaipur and other places had stunned the society
and made most of the people sad and angry.
He was far from the truth when he said “The Hindu society in general assertively expressed
their protests and strong reactions after such incidents even if the accused be Hindu
persons”. The people who supported RSS and BJP in a shameful manner remained tight
lipped. Even the BJP government did not take deterrent actions. On the contrary he advised
the Muslims to voice protest. He said “This manner of protest should not be an isolated
phenomenon within the Muslim society rather it should become the nature of their large
sections”.
It would not be an exaggeration to say that his speech was meant to terrorise and confuse
the minorities and Muslims about the real intent of the RSS. Instead of talking about the
pluralist character of India, he emphasised; “Now, when the Sangh is receiving the affection
and confidence of people and also has become strong, the concept of Hindu Rashtra is
being taken seriously”. In an oblique manner he tried to convey the message that Muslims
do no belong to India. Bhagwat said “We are of Bharat, came from Bhartiya ancestors and
its eternal culture, we are one as a society and in our nationality, this is the only protective
shield, the mantra for us all”. He also said “scare-mongering is done among the so-called
minorities that there is a danger to them because of us or organised Hindus. This has not
happened in the past, nor will it happen in future. This is neither the nature of the Sangh nor
of the Hindus, history bears this out”
What came as real shock was his call to the people to assist the government’s and
administration’s efforts to control and bring such forces to its heels. Bhagwat said “the
devotion to Bharat, the shining ideals of our ancestors and the great Sanskriti of our country,
these are the three pillars which light up and pave our path on which we have to travel
together with love and affection. This is our selfhood and Rashtra Dharma”. He once against
distanced from Muslims by saying “Sangh organises all who subscribe to this thought – that
is “organising the Hindu society for protecting the Hindu dharma, sanskriti, samaj, and an all-
round development of the Hindu Rashtra”.
The most astonishing part of his speech was his observation “Our economy is returning to
normalcy post-Covid and world economists are predicting that it will grow further. In sports
also, our players make the country proud. Change is the rule of the world, but one should be
firm on Sanatan Dharma.” It appears that his emphasis was on sticking to Sanatan Dharma
which has been panacea to all the malaises. He said it was unfortunate that the persons who
are opposed to Sanatan Dharma were in fact enemies of Bharat’s unity and progress. “They
spread Fake Narratives, encourage anarchy, engage in criminal acts, and foment terror,
conflict and social unrest,” he said.
There is no denying that he articulated the sangh parivar’s Hindu supremacist viewpoint with
the assertion that “sanatan Hindu culture and its magnanimous Hindu society” can accept
all, and can “alone be the saviour of the world from the catastrophic grip of radicalism,
intolerance, terrorism, conflict, animosity and exploitation.”