HVK Archives: RSS to add ideological tinge to Independence
RSS to add ideological tinge to Independence - The Hindu
Posted By Krishnakant Udavant (kkant@202.54.1.1)
9 July 1997
Title: RSS to add ideological tinge to Independence
Author:
Publication: The Hindu
Date: July 9, 1997
The so-called "non-political" RSS, parent organisation of the Bharatiya
Janata Party, seems to have a clearly defined political agenda of using
religion to create a political divide between the majority community and
the minorities that is not news. but what is, is the exploitation of the
golden jubilee of India's Independence to push further its divisive politics.
Perhaps the most glaring example is the decision by the recently-held
national executive committee of the RSS to "celebrate" the occasion as a
Hindu festival throughout the country. August 15 is to be celebrated as
'Bharat Mata Poojan Day,' and 'Bharat Mata' is to be elevated to the Hindu
pantheon of gods and goddesses and given the attribute of 'Akhanda Bharat.'
A resolution adopted by the executive exhorts the workers to take the
message of the freedom struggle to the people and seek the cooperation of
those who "love our sanatana dharma." The RSS would like to emphasise the
"real Hindu content of freedom," and appropriate for the majority community
the entire legacy of the freedom movement, while denying the minorities role.
Mr. H. V Seshadiri, RSS sarkaryawah (general secretary), released copies
of the three resolutions adopted by the national executive to the press
here today. He was asked by a correspondent whether the RSS was trying to
negate the role of Muslims and other minorities in the freedom struggle,
and his answer was that he would blame the politicians who have been using
the Muslims as vote banks.
The two-page resolution dealing with the RSS decision to celebrate
Independence Day as 'Bharat Mata Poojan Day' devotes more than half the
space to denouncing the "pernicious divisive policy of pampering the
minorities" and also refers to Partition, as the "cutting up of our
Motherland," the terrible price India paid for freedom.
The Hinduisation of the freedom movement by the RSS is planned to
complement the effort put in by the BJP president, Mr. L. K. Advani, during
his 'swarna jayanti Rath Yatra' to appropriate the legacy of the freedom
struggle and the nationalists agenda. The subtle link between Hindu and
nationalist is meant to suggest the sinister link between Muslim and
anti-national. And that is the politics of the RSS - as necessarily also of
the BJP.
Answering questions on a number of political issues, Mr. Seshadiri said
that he was "not aware" that one of its offsprings, the Vishwa Hindu
Parishad, had launched a tirade against the candidature of Mr. K. R.
Narayanan for the post of President. Mr. Seshadiri had earlier nodded
approval for the near political consensus on him, but had added that it was
wrong to project him as a "dalit President" for lie would represent all the
people in India.
It was also indicated that the RSS has not yet taken a positive stand on
the issue of women's reservation. All that Mr. Seshadiri would say was the
issue should be debated nationwide ill the context of the "role and
position of' Indian women in our traditional society and our traditional
values." however, on the question of reservation for the other backward
castes, the RSS general secretary was more than clear saying the
organisation was firmly opposed to moves which would divide the Hindu society.
The BJP vice-president, Mr. Sunder Singh Bhandari, reported briefly at the
executive on the overall political situation, focussing on Uttar Pradesh.
The RSS general secretary described the United Front coalition as not
founded on a common perception and therefore unable to give direction to
the country. However, when, asked about his views on the BSP - BJP
coalition in Uttar Pradesh his comment was the "politics was the art of the
possible" and that a "positive social signal" had been given by the BSP-BJP
coalition government. Clearly the standard applied to the two coalitions
were entirely different.
It seems that the RSS and the BJP have not ruled out the possibility of a
mid-term poll in U.P. and the BJP is not necessarily banking on the
continuation of its electoral understanding with the BSP. "We expect it to
work as long as it does, but we are not depending on it," a senior BJP
leader said, while emphasising again that the "main political objective" of
"containing the 'goonda raj' (read Mr. Mulayam Singh) had been met." That
was the "common political agenda" of the BSP as well as the BJP.
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