THE ASIAN INDEPENDENT UK
London – More than 500 people attended a demonstration in Parliament Square, London, on Sunday opposing the visit of RSS leader Mohan Bhagwat, in what organisers described as a successful and peaceful protest.
The demonstration was called by the South Asia Solidarity Group, with the support of the Indian Workers Association (Great Britain) and several other organisations.
IWA (GB) said its support for the demonstration reflected its long-standing principles of working-class unity, secularism, democracy, equality and social justice, and stressed that its opposition was political and ideological and not directed against Hindus or Hinduism.
The organisation said: “IWA (GB) believes working people should stand together irrespective of religion, caste, race or background. Religion is a matter of personal belief and should never be used to divide people or determine who belongs to a nation.”
At the centre of IWA (GB)’s disagreement with the RSS is the ideology of Hindutva and its conception of India as a ‘Hindu Rashtra’. Bhagwat has publicly described Bharat as a Hindu Rashtra, while the RSS argues that the term “Hindu” represents a broad civilisational identity and is not intended to exclude religious minorities.
IWA (GB) said: “India belongs equally to Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Buddhists, Jains, people of other faiths and those of no religion. No citizen should have to accept a Hindu national identity in order to establish that they belong to India.
“For us, a modern democracy must be based on equal citizenship rather than the religious identity of the majority. Democracy must also protect minorities, different beliefs and dissenting voices. Human rights must apply equally to everyone.”
The Association acknowledged that the RSS speaks of social harmony, service and “unity in diversity”, but said acknowledging the RSS’s explanation of its philosophy did not mean accepting its ideology.
IWA (GB) also warned against importing communal divisions from the Indian subcontinent into Britain, where Hindu, Sikh, Muslim, Christian and other communities have lived and worked alongside one another for generations.
It said religious and communal politics should not be allowed to undermine the mutual respect and social cohesion of Britain’s multicultural society.
Following Sunday’s demonstration, IWA (GB) described the turnout of more than 500 people as a strong and successful expression of peaceful democratic opposition.
The Association concluded: “Our disagreement is with an ideology, not a religion or a people. IWA (GB) stands for working-class unity, secularism, democracy, equality and social justice, and against communalism and discrimination from whatever quarter they come.”
