(RSSFACTS is a column that demystifies the functioning, organisational structure and ideology of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.)
There are some interesting similarities between Arvind Kejriwal and Rahul Gandhi when it comes to issues related to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). Both of them try to drag the organisation’s name into the political arena to garner additional votes. Both are either misinformed about the true character of the RSS, or they purposely misinform people about the largest voluntary organisation in the world.
Ever since the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power at the Centre, there have been attempts to target the RSS by the opposition. With Congress shifting sharply to the left and many other smaller political parties following policies of Muslim appeasement, there have been concerted efforts to malign the RSS’s image. Meanwhile, Kejriwal, in view of the forthcoming Delhi elections, has also jumped on the bandwagon and tried to create a controversy by writing a letter to the Sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat.
The RSS-BJP Connection
The core issue that needs to be discussed in the context of these attacks on the RSS is the relationship between the RSS and the BJP. Most political parties fear and hate the RSS, as their leaders feel that it is the RSS that propels the BJP to power, it is the RSS that helps the BJP regain power whenever it loses elections, and it is the RSS’s ideology that continues to attract more and more Indians to the organisation and its ideological mentees, including the BJP.
The RSS’s relationship with the BJP is absolutely clear to both the former and the latter. It was best articulated by the current Sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat in September 2018, during a three-day interaction with prominent figures from various walks of life at Vigyan Bhavan in Delhi.
Bhagwat was asked in the Q&A session why the RSS ‘loans’ some of its workers to the BJP and not to any other political party. Bhagwat replied that other political parties have never asked for such workers, and if they did, the RSS would consider it.
Allegations on the RSS
The RSS should not be viewed as a patron of the BJP. The relationship between the RSS and the BJP is simple: the BJP draws ideological inspiration from the Sangh, and some of the RSS’s workers are ‘loaned’ to the BJP whenever it seeks help. However, those who go and work in the BJP do not hold any position within the RSS. During elections, RSS volunteers do not ask people to vote specifically for the BJP. Their focus is on ensuring maximum voter turnout, and all they do during their door-to-door campaigns is to suggest that people vote for nationalist forces—those who will do well for the nation and society.
Core Principles of the RSS
There are some core principles that can help people like Arvind Kejriwal, Rahul Gandhi, and many others understand the RSS:
1. The aim of the RSS is to transform society. For the RSS, transformation means that every individual should be able to realise his or her potential.
2. The RSS is not an organisation within society, but a ‘flow’ that facilitates the organisation of society.
3. When the RSS attains its objective, it should vanish. No one should even mention its name when history is written, because it is society that has organised itself, and the RSS does not seek credit for anything.
4. The RSS believes that society comprises two sections: one consists of people who have joined the RSS, and the other of people who will ultimately join the RSS. Therefore, the RSS does not view its detractors as enemies. It considers itself as ‘Ajatshatru’ (the one without an enemy).
5. The most important principle is that one cannot understand the RSS unless one joins it. The RSS’s style of functioning is such that its functionaries often say in their meetings and interactions that there is a standing invitation for all those who criticise the RSS to come and work in the organisation for some time. They can see with their own eyes what the RSS does and what it does not do.
It is well documented that during the Emergency, many anti-RSS leaders changed their views on the organisation after meeting the large number of arrested RSS cadres, who held their shakhas in jail. These leaders saw for themselves what the RSS was about, and this helped correct their perceptions.
Incidentally, the RSS doesn’t have a formal membership. There are no restrictions on entry or exit, and there are no membership fees or ID cards. Anyone can simply walk into any of the 70,000-plus shakhas held at public places. No questions are asked about caste, religion, race, or political affiliation.
So, if you really want to critique the RSS, you should join it and understand what the organisation stands for!
Earlier RSSFACTS columns can be read here.
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