Thursday 20 September 2018

RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat's "Hindutva Coup" : India stunned, cadre confused

New Delhi, September 20. Lakhs of swayamsevakas assmbeled in parks and open fields in thousands of  shakhas across the country this morning, were pondering over the utterances of  chief of world's largest social organisation Rashtriya Swayamsevaka Sangh (RSS), Mohan Bhagwat, delivered on the last day of the three day dialogue session here yesterday. Cadres were confused and Bauddhik Pramukhs (teachers) of the shakhas were unable to answer their  queries.
 What was supposed to be a get together of RSS leaders and select (but large)  group of people from different sections of the society turned out to be a historic event in which Mohan Bhagwat unveiled a new course for RSS and India at large. Nobody expected that that Bhagwat would redefine the core concept of Hindu nationalism, "Hindutva" in the gathering , so suddenly and so radically.
Detractors and cynics were also at the loss  of words as the RSS Chief deprived them of their main arguments often used against the RSS, that it is an anti-Muslim and exclusionist organisation. Bhagwat declared that Muslims were integral part of Hindu Nation. Without Muslims, Hindu nation is incomplete. Swayamsevaks over the decades were indoctrinated and inculcated with the thought that Hindus were the real "son of soil" and Hindu Nation should be immune from alien influences. Muslims, unless Indianised, can not be part of Hindu Nation. Without demanding any initiation, Bhagwat included about 150 million Muslims into RSS's  vision of Hindu Nation.
RSS overnight turned out to be a progressive and socially radical organisation instead of a conservative and orthodox organisation, as the Chief supported Roti-Beti relationship ( dining together and engaging in inter-caste marriages)
Was Bhagwat  mandated by the top leadership of RSS to put forward this new vision of Hindu Nation? has there been any exercise to gather the opinions of ground level swayamsevakas? Was he expressing his personal views? There is nothing like personal views in RSS; Chief is friend, philosopher and guide for the millions of swayamsevakas. But the chief's great leap forward posed  a massive challenge not only for cadre but for the society at large .

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