RSS/HINDUTVA VERSUS INDIA/INDIANS

Flag adopted by the Indian National Congress i...

Flag adopted by the Indian National Congress in 1931. First hoisted on 1931-10-31 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

by- Shamsul Islam

RSS/Hindutva camp boasts of being the embodiment of Indian nationalism/patriotism and represent the aspirations of the Nation. It claims, specially the RSS, that India is a Hindu Rashtra and they are the guardians of Hindu interests. It also claims that politics of Hindutva is synonymous with the interests of Hindus. This is despite the fact that India is a Democratic-Secular country; committed to build an egalitarian polity. RSS and its Hindutva camp followers, in tune with Muslim communalists and pre-Independence Muslim League, assert that Hindus cannot be democratic & secular. This chart is an attempt to unmask the anti-national ideology and deeds of the Hindutva camp vis-a-vis India; a land inhabited by people of many religions, cultures and creeds of which majority being of Hindus. This chart ‘RSS/HINDUTVA VERSUS INDIA/INDIANS’ is self-explanatory as each issue of concern for India and those who love India (both in pre and post- Independence period) is tagged with the Hindutva camp’s official stand. This chart makes it easy to comprehend the gravity of anti-national character of the ideology and misdeeds of the Hindutva camp led by RSS. It was this anti-national character of the Hindutva ideology that Dr. BR Ambedkar a great researcher and thinker of communal politics in India wrote as early as 1940, “If Hindu Raj does become a fact, it will, no doubt, be the greatest calamity for this country…it is a menace to liberty, equality and fraternity. On that account it is incompatible with democracy. Hindu Raj must be prevented at any cost.”
[B. R. Ambedkar, Pakistan or the Partition of India, Government of Maharashtra, Bombay, 1940 (reprint 1990), p. 358]

ISSUESRSS/HINDUTVA’S STANDSTAND OF INDIANS INCLUDING HINDUS
(1) Killing of Gandhiji(1) Killing of Gandhiji is glorified as ‘vadh’ and presented as an act of bravery ordained by God. This murder is celebrated by Hindutva individuals/organizations. Even today one of the Hindutva sites reads that on 30th January 1948 evening, “Shriram came in the form of Nathuram Godse and ended the life of Gandhi.”(1) Gandhiji is treated as Father of Nation, revered and respected. His killing shocked the Indian Nation & is treated as an act of terrorism.
(2) The National Flag (Tri-colour)(2) The National Flag is decried, denigrated and described as bad omen. According to RSS English organ, Organizer, the National Flag will never be “respected and owned by Hindus. The word three is in itself an evil, and a flag having three colours will certainly produce a very bad psychological effect and is injurious to a country.”(2) Every Indian is proud of this National Flag. It is respected and loved by Indians. It is unlawful to denigrate it.
(3) The Democratic-Secular Indian Constitution which declares Untouchability as crime.(3) The Hindutva camp has been opposing Democratic-Secular Constitution since its promulgation. They want to replace it by Manu Code (Manu Smriti) which decrees worst kind of Untouchability and denigrates women & twice-born Hindus i.e. Dalits. They openly work for establishing a Hindu rashtra (Nation) which will be run under Manu Code. It was one of the reasons they killed Gandhiji. (3) The Indian people love and respect Indian Constitution which guarantees democracy, secularism and promises egalitarian polity. They know that due to this feature only India has survived.
(4) Status of Minorities (4) According to Hindutva game-plan Islam & Christianity are ‘foreign religions’, having no place in Hindu rashtra. The indigenous religions like Sikhism, Jainism, Buddhism etc. will not have independent status but treated as part of Hinduism.(4) Indians respect religious diversity and co-exist peacefully despite sectarian forces. They are familiar with the fact that no religion is a monolithic whole. If there are differences among religions, there are major differences within the followers of one religion in India.
(5) Casteism(5) According to Hindutva camp Casteism is the most prominent feature of Hindu rashtra. According to Guru Golwalkar, “this fourfold arrangement, i.e., the Hindu People, is our God.” Thus Casteism is synonymous with Hindu Nation.(5) Indians are divided on the basis of Castes and there are cases of Caste repression too but no Caste is allowed to be   denigrated. Casteism is regarded as an evil.

 (6) Indian Federalism

(6) The Hindutva camp demands India to be run as a Unitary state. Its pernicious demand reads: “It must be completely uprooted, constitution purified and unitary form of government be established.”(6) India as a modern State has survived due to devolution of power between centre & States. It is through federal set-up that India caters (or balances) to the demands of diverse geographical & political units of the country.
(7) Attitude towards Netaji Subhash Chander Bose who tried to liberate India from the British rule militarily by organizing Indian National Army (INA).(7)  The Hindutva organizations under the leadership of ‘Veer’ Savarkar entered into “Responsive Co-operation with the war efforts of the Indian Government [the British Government]”. They organized Hindu recruitment camps for British army. The Defence Committee constituted by the Viceroy had two prominent Hindutva leaders, Kalikar & Jamna Das Mehta. (7) Indians responded in large numbers to Netaji’s call ‘Dilli Chalo’. INA was joined by Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Christians & others. The INA remains one of the greatest icons of India’s Freedom Struggle. It was defeated due to many factors including Hindutva/Muslim League support to the British war-efforts. When the British rulers put them on trial known as Red Fort Trial (1945), the whole India stood in support with these fighters.
 (8) Freedom Struggle (8) The Hindutva gang decried India’s Freedom Struggle (described it as ‘bad’), sabotaged it and sub-served the interests of colonial masters by entering into coalition governments with Muslim League during Quit India Movement of 1942. It sided with the Muslim communalists for serving the British masters. It supported two-nation theory. They never asked the British to leave India. (8) Indians in millions and millions participated in the Freedom Movement and thousands and thousands of them laid down their lives for freedom of the country. Indians always saluted the freedom fighters and cherishes the deeds of the latter.
(9) Attitude Towards Martyrs like Bhagat Singh, Ashfaqullah Khan, Chandershekhar Azad & others(9)  The founder of RSS, Hedgewar and his heir, Golwalkar, prominent ideologue of the Hindutva declared that such martyrs could not be looked upon as great, “For, after all, they failed in achieving their ideal, and failure implies some fatal flaw in them.”(9)  Indians love and worship these martyrs. They laid down their lives for an India free of exploitation.
(10)  Ideals (10)  The Hindutva camp idolizes Hitler, Mussolini and dictators like them. The greatest ideologue of RSS declared: “RSS inspired by one flag, one leader and one ideology is lighting the flame of Hindutva in each and every corner of this great land.” This mantra was picked up Fascists/Nazis of Europe.(10) Indians never tolerated dictatorship. Despite the presence of hegemonic elements in the country, Indians keep safe distance from them and fight back against dictatorship.
(11) Two-nation Theory(11) The Hindutva camp believes that Hindus & Muslims are two different antagonistic Nations. Thus they concur with the philosophy of Muslim League led by MA Jinnah.(11) Indians love diversity. They have been co-existing for times immemorial. For them diversity is their asset and not weak point. They know they have survived as a Nation because they know how to exist with differences.

The column ‘RSS/HINDUTVA’S STAND’ is reproduced from the Hindutva camp’s archives. For the perusal of original RSS/Hindutva documents see the following links. English: hhttp://www.academia.edu/4059744/An_Open_Letter_to_Hindu_Nationalist_Chief_Minister_of_Gujarat_Narendra_Modi_Ji    Hindi: http://www.academia.edu/4091454/Hindu_Nationalist_Narendra_Modi_ke_naam_khula-patr_an_open_letter_to_Hindu_Nationalist_Modi_  Gujarati: http://www.academia.edu/4181477/Open_letter_to_Hindu_Nationalist_and_Gujarat_Chief_Minister_Narendra_Modi_in_Gujarati_

 

 

 

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