PM’S ARTICLE ON RSS SUPREMO’S 75TH BIRTHDAY IS AIMED AT WOOING HIM TO REMAIN IN POWER
By Arun Srivastava
(Asian independent) Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s piece on Mohan Bhagwat released in all national newspapers on September 11 on the occasion of RSS supremo’s 75th birthday ought not to be construed as his praise or eulogy for the RSS chief. It is sheer a manifestation of his surrender before him which he performed barely a fortnight back in the form of a public statement. May be for the saffron ecosystem, tenure of Bhagwat as the head of the RSS since 2009 was the most societal transformative and strengthening spirit of harmony, in reality he would be remembers as the weakest RSS chief who could not withstand the efforts of Modi himself to demean and disparage the organisation.
This message is also of the nature of self-efficacy for Modi. Bhagwat relinquishing the office of RSS chief, would invariably have put pressure on the PM to follow the footsteps of Bhagwat on September 17,Modi’s 75th birthday.. But now he is feeling at least assured that he would not have to step down and he can continue to complete his present tenure till 2029. Of course Bhagwat deserves a hand from Modi, which he performed through this piece.
Modi eulogy of Bhagwat that he possesses high order of intellect and has emphatic leadership qualities, does not conform to his style of working. He has been an expert of double speak and never stuck to his commitments and promises made to the people. Certainly dithering is not the hall mark of good and competent leader. Modi appreciation unfortunately could not conceal the common feeling that he has he is not stickler for norms. He does not speak truth.
Modi claimed that his tenure would be considered as the most transformative period in RSS’s 100 year journey. Indeed he was right. The country has never in the past witnessed this nature of communal hatred and killings as was seen during his leadership. Bhagwat split the Indian society on Hindu-Muslim line. His patronage to the divisive politics of Modi witnessed worst nature of societal animosity and turned a large number of Hindu youths as mercenaries. It was during his phase India witnessed massive lynching. This is his gift to the country.
Modi heaped praise on Bhagwat as the embodiment of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam. It is purely a misnomer and false. What does it imply? Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam is a Sanskrit phrase meaning “The World is One Family”. It embodies the philosophy that all living beings, the Earth, and the world’s resources are interconnected and form a single global family. This concept promotes universal unity, kindness, and cooperation, emphasizing that all people are collectively responsible for each other and the planet’s well-being. The philosophy promotes a world free from discrimination, prejudice, and violence, fostering a deeper sense of compassion and understanding. It advocates for resolving conflicts through dialogue, mutual understanding, and cooperation rather than through force or coercion.
But what did Bhagwat practice? He consistently despised Muslims and even Dalits. It is entirely wrong to say that he strengthened social unity and harmony between communities.. There are numerous examples, even his speeches are testimony to the fact Bhagwat harvested hatred and provoked fanatic or Andh Bhakta Hindus to launch a crusade against Muslims. Bhagwat is not tired of preaching that people, especially Muslims must rise above boundaries and consider everyone as their own, as it strengthens trust, brotherhood and equality in society, but in reality Bhagwat and his disciple Modi worked against this Hindu philosophy.
It cannot be denied that Bhagwat has been primarily responsible for some of the present degeneration trends of the Hindu society. Being the chief of biggest Hindu organisation he could well have launched a mission to cleanse the Hindu society of the ills. But he refrained and simply provoked the Hindu youths to turn mercenaries.. His reluctance has done immense harm to the Hindu society. . He was keen to induct youths for turning RSS into an organisation to demean the minorities. But he was not interested to transform the lives of the common Indian youths and show them a light for a better future. Modi claimed that Bhagwat has given the ‘Panch Parivartan’, which includes social harmony, family values, environmental awareness, national selfhood and civic duties. But it is yet to be seen whether these have succeeded in inspiring Indians.
By pursuing a divisive policy Bhagwat or Modi cannot build Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat. Bhagwat has been selling utopian ideas. If he has really believed in India’s diversity and the celebration of so many different cultures and traditions, he would not have segregated Muslims from the Indian society.
Modi has been using RSS for his political gains and did not subscribe to the values of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, for which Bhagwat allegedly stood. Once again the political bankruptcy of Modi was on display. He put Swami Vivekananda speech of 1893 at Chicago with the gruesome 9/11 attacks. He was resorting to metaphor for decrying Muslims. This is the tragedy of the RSS which has been systematically nurtured by Bhagwat in the last 16 years as the chief.
While eulogizing Bhagwat for his leadership quality, Modi takes us to some really imperfect areas. Modi says: “He has always steered the Organisation through very complex currents, never compromising on the core ideology we are all proud of and at the same time addressing the evolving needs of society.” Modi refrains from identifying the complex currents and also defining the core ideology. Both Bhagwat and Narendra Modi have failed India in nurturing and strengthening the constitutional values for building an inclusive and secular nation. (IPA Service)
