‘Hindus are the most generous society in the world that embraces all faiths. They are the descendants of those who imparted wisdom and knowledge to the world. They are the ones who called upon the world not to fight with each other. Hindus mean people who treat everyone with kindness regardless of caste, religion or food.’ Thus said RSS Sarsangh Chalak Mohan Bhagwat to a gathering of Swayam Sevaks at a function organized by RSS in Alwar, Rajasthan on Sunday. He also reminded them that the RSS is going to celebrate its 100th anniversary next year. It should also be remembered that Bhagwat's speech comes against the backdrop of the Hindutva party coming to power for the third time, elucidating its stands for creating Hindu rashtra. If his eloquent words had any meaning at all, there should have been at least an easing in the persecution having faced over the past ten years by the lower caste Hindus and religious minorities from the central and state governments and the Sangh Parivar. Does Mohan Bhagwat not know the events ever happening in UP, Uttarakhand, Assam and many other states? Should the deeds such as the governments bulldozing houses, places of worship and shops without fulfilling legal process, where poor Dalits and Muslims live and earn their living, be considered as examples of Hindutva's liberality and tolerance? Should Narendra Modi’s cabinet, not long after taking oath for the third time, presenting a bill in the parliament laying the groundwork for confiscation of Waqf properties belonging only to Muslims be considered Hindutva’s liberality?
Even though the Waqf Amendment Bill is left to the parliamentary committee due to pressure from the opposition, the central government has openly stated that it will be passed at any cost. While Mohan Bhagwat extols Hindutva’s generous approach to food cultures, how the remorse of a Hindutva fundamentalist, who shot dead a Brahmin mistaking him for a Muslim in a cart ferrying cows, be looked at? Is the life of a Muslim worth at least one-tenth of the life of a cow? In Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswasharma, breaking all records of racial hatred, is arresting Muslim families living in the state for decades under the guise of CAA and dragging them to concentration camps. Should this also be considered as a manifestation of the universal culture claimed by Bhagwat? When the last arrow in his quiver was run out, Sharma sought to cancel the Friday midday prayer concession granted to Muslim officials since British rule. A war has been declared against Gyanvyapi in Varanasi, Idgah in Mathura and the 600-year-old mosque in Delhi. This is despite Supreme Court's order to end encroachment of the mosque by building the Ram Temple in the place of the Babri Masjid in Faizabad. If these are all isolated incidents, how the RSS chief is going to justify Prime Minister Narendra Modi spewing venom against Muslims in 110 speeches, based on the accurate data by Human Rights Watch, during the Lok Sabha election campaign?
PM Modi justified that he was speaking against the Congress and not against the Muslims, when he accused the Congress of snatching and giving the wedding ornaments Hindu women to ‘those who have more children’, and ‘infiltrators’ . He may have thought that Muslims were fools who did not even understand who was being targeting. In short, if Mohan Bhagwat sticks to his claim about Hinduism, then he should declare that Narendra Modi, Amit Shah, Yogi Adityanath, Himanta Biswasharma or Anurag Thakur do not represent true Hinduism; they should be taught afresh about Hinduism as a culture of tolerance, generosity and empathy. Or else, he should admit himself to be the head of the RSS who justifies actions of the BJP governments’ deeds, and allow the common people to judge the rest of his claims as mere gibberish.