Author: Dilip Chaware
Publication: The Times
of India
Date: November 19, 2000
Rashtriya Swayamsevak
Sangh (RSS) chief K S Sudarshan has denied that there were differences
between the RSS and the National Democratic Alliance government led by
Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee.
" There is a class of
people who cannot stomach the idea of an RSS Swayamsevak occupying the
topmost post in the country. These persons, who looked to the West
for guidance and inspiration, have been spreading rumours," he said at
a private meeting here on Saturday.
He said three kinds of
rumours were spread. The first was that the constituents of the NDA
were not happy with the BJP; the second was that there were differences
between the BJP and the RSS and the third rumour was that there was a rift
between Mr Vajpayee and Union home minister L.K.Advani.
The RSS chief indicated
that efforts were made by foreign powers to destabilise the Vajpayee government.
However, he declined to elaborate .
Maintaining that Hinduism
continues to be at the core of the 75 year--old RSS, which regarded all
those loyal to India as Hindus, Mr Sudarshan said," The RSS never regarded
anyone as a Muslim or Christian. A patriot to the nation can belong
to any faith," he said while refuting the charge that the RSS had diluted
its stand on Hindutva and Akahand Bharat.
He said India faced four
major challenges. They were from Islam, the Church, communism and
capitalism. Reiterating that a nationl church was needed in India,
Mr Sudarshan expressed satisfaction that his call for such a church had
started a debate. He had been receiving letters from several people,
many of them Syrian Christians, saying that they did not look up to Rome
for religious edicts.
The RSS chief said he
had spoken about Islam at length at his public functions. It was
not true that the RSS was against Muslims. It was against anyone
who was born in India but did not regard it as his or her motherland.
Muslims had remained backward since their leadership was keeping them deliberately
in that state. " The RSS has held from day one that Muslims and Christians
in India are originally Hindus. My call to Muslims and Christians
in India is to recognise and accept this fact. Even today, when Indian
Muslims go to Arab countries for pilgrimage, they are referred to as Hindu
Muslims," he observed.
As far as threat from
capitalism was concerned, he said India must review its traditional strengths.
It was necessary to practise its ancient arts and sciences like bio--fertility.
He revealed that an experiment was being conducted in Pune district for
developing manure from cow dung. If it was successful, there would
be no need to import chemical fertilisers, which were a drain on the nation's
exchequer as valuable foreign exchange was being spent on their import
every year.
Everything Western should
not be regarded as a sign of progress. For instance, the importance
of breast feeding was now being recognised in the West as something good
for both the mother and child. But, earlier, women in the West were
against breast feeding since they felt that it would mar their beauty.
Now, media campaigns were being launched to popularise breast feeding,
which was in vogue in India for thousands of years.
Mr Sudarshan said the
media must highlight positive developments as well instead of concentrating
on negative aspects.
