In an exclusive interview to Organiser after taking over as Sarsanghchalak Mananeeya Rajju Bhayya answered a number of questions pertaining to issues over which people are exercised as also their expectations and hopes following the change-over. Excerpts:
The sudden change-over in the RSS is a deviation from the tradition so far followed. How do you feel about it?
Balasaheb was aware of his failing health. In fact, he had been consulting senior colleagues for the past three years as he had made clear to all of us his inability to undertake tours. Therefore, there is nothing sudden about the change-over. There is one more thing. Doctorji lay ill for a very short time. Guruji also was unable to complete his round of tours. But Balasaheb’s condition refused to show improvement. So he decided to hand over his responsibilities.
With the change at the top people expect some change in the thrust of the RSS?
You see, the same team has been functioning for the past three or four years; and the same team is consulting now, with minor changes in the portfolios. So what you call the earlierthrust continues. Surely, one aspect that needs special attention is raising the standard of our swayamsevaks’ efficiency, capacity and commitment. The othet aspect is in the area of serving the weaker sections of the society, which task, in spite of our earlier determination, could not be satisfactory achieved due to various factors like the ban, the elections, etc. Of course, our work has been going on without break through the Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, the Seva Bharati and other institutions. But the work needs to be speeded up.
It is said that political change in Uttar Pradesh has obliged the RSS to lay stress on social harmony.
RSS has always been thinking positively on this subject. The Seva Bharati activity was started in 1978 at Delhi, pioneering new experiments in the social field. After half-a-dozen years we find that we have done good ground work. In 1989, during the Hedgewar birth centenary celebrations, we earmarked certain amounts specifically for these social projects. We want to speed up this work. Actually, we had started in this direction in 1978 and then progressed through ’84-85’, and then, in 1989, we decided to consolidate all the work. Howcan this be related to the Uttar Pradesh elections.
Have you tried to assess the impact of such activities, like running medical or social projects in the slums, and such other work?
In the beginning, instead of thinking in terms of what you would call “impact”, we thought it fir to see if we were really serving any useful purpose. We then studied the various projects in detail so as to make an objective assessment and select the best from among them. Now the work has grown and spread all over the country imparting a social standing to our views. For example, unlike in earlier years there was no more bitterness over the namantar (re-naming of Marathwada University) movement this time. This was due to the jpint effeort of RSS, BJP and other affiliated organisations.
But the Congress also was of the same opinion?
Yes, some Congressmen have appreciated and the co-ordinated efforts of RSS and BJP.
Do you think the namantar movement has weakened the unity of the different organisations working among Hindus?
Well, the perception about every situation depends on certain factors. Some people think in terms of politics alone- political base, vote-bank, etc. But those who have a broader vision of Hindus interest have a different perception altogether. RSS is not concerned with vote-bank politics. Since our main aim is to preserve Hindu solidarity our perception differs from that of the others.
Do you think the so-called Dalits or the bahujan samaj appreciate the stand taken by the RSS?
Yes; they certainly do. This time they appreciated our efforts.
They witnessed and have personal experience of our sincere effort for social harmony. At many places they freely identified themselves with our efforts. Some leading saints and sadhus went to the Dikshabhoomi in Nagpur to pay their respects to Dr Ambedkar. There they garlanded his statue. When people increasingly realise that in all sincerity we consider Dr Ambedkar a national hero and not a sectarian leader, the gaping chasm between communities is obliterated.
It is alleged that the RSS is invoking the names of Dr Ambedkar and Mahatma Phule only under political compulsion in the changed circumstances. What have you to say?
Our swayamsevaks in the daily shakhas all over the country recite an ekatmata stotra (a collection of verses containing the names of saints and savants). It was first compiled in 1950. Since then we have been considering updating it. Some 15 years ago, we compiled a new ekatmata stotra. In it we include many new names, like those of Ambedkar, Phule, savarkar, Subhas Bose and others. This has been well received by the society in general. As our work progresses, we will be understood better, and by more and more people. After Balasaheb became the Sarsanghchalak, he once spoke at the famous Vasant Vyakhyanmala (summer seminar) at Pune. There he assertively said: If untouchability is not a crime, nothing else in the world is. So you see this allegation is absolutely baseless.
What role does the RSS play in resolving clashes between different sections of the Hindu community which seems to be a recurring feature, specially in the north?
In all such cases we have always exerted ourselves to minimize the internal feuds of our society and tried to dissolve the points of dispute through swayamsevaks’ efforts or sometime through the local BJP or VHP units. A consistent effort is going on to diffuse the easily eruptible
situation by organizing peace meetings, padyatras in which we also involve widely respected religious bodies.
The BSP general secretary Mayawati has issued a call to finish all gandhism. She has unblushingly pitted Gandhi against Ambedkar. Your Comments?
Yes, she is doing it now. But, strangely enough, earlier, Kanshsi Ram had criticised Ambedkar. In Maharashtra, he said that Harijans would not make any progress unless they denounced Ambedkar. His argument was that whereas he treats the Dalits as equal partners, ambedkar made them beg for their rights. In his own style he tried to belittle Ambedkar. But when he realized the tremendous work done by Dr Ambedkar and admiration he commands among the backwards, kanshi ram change his tricks. Now the same popel, Kanshi Ram, Mayawati and Co., are keen on projecting themselves as followers of Ambedkar. This is something new.
Regarding Kashmir the Hurriyat Conference is planning to form a parliament-in-exile and affiliating themselves to the OIC, perhaps with POK. How do you react?
This should not be tolerated and this should be condemned strongly because Kashmir’s accession to and complete integration with India cannot be permitted to be questioned. This is our clear line. Anything that goes against this has to be rejected, has to be opposed, has to be condemned.
What about the ISI role in India. Of late, in many states, like Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, UP, Punjab, Kashmir and the North-eastern states, ISI has intensifies its activities. Does it not mean that the internal security apparatus has failed?
No. Pakistan has no way out; so they have started intensifying their activities, which will keep us on tenter-hooks. And then there is this problem of militants. We have to take some strong action in some place so that the Government is not going to take things lying down. Those people who are captured and those who were found to have been involved with the ISI, be given exemplary punishment. Only then would there be some sort of fear. Take up one line, pursue it for some time and finish it. Then talk about other things. In Punjab, till militancy was not completely crushed, there was no talk of the democratic line, and we find that it has solved the problem in a short time.
During the Jana Sangh days the stress was on Integral Humanism. RSS also spoke of Hindu Renaissance. In this background, do you think there is clear polarisation among the country’s political thinkers vis-a-vis accepting the Hindu view?
We are not thinking in terms of politics. BJP has been doing that. But other political parties are not yet attuned to this lone of thinking. But this is having a very great influence on the present social thinking. Slowly the Hindu society is getting polarised along these lines.
…of Integral Humanism?
Yes. It was always there. But it was not so widespread, not thoroughly understood. And also the importance of the Hindu ethos, the importance of Hindutva-all these things are appreciated by our society much better-like say, Ramjanambhoomi, the way they have dealt with Kashmir, special treatment to Haj piligrim. This perpetual anxiety to molly coddle the Muslim sentiments in every aspect of national life has at long last hurt the common Hindu, and they have started polarising over the issue of Hindutva.
