RSS may drop Hindu Rashtra doctrine: Arshad Madani

New Delhi: Maulana Arshad Madani, chief of Deoband-based Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind, has said that he believes that RSS may drop its Hindu Rashtravada. Madani shared his thoughts in an interview with The Quint in the wake of a meeting held between him and RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat.

Deoband is a hundred year old organisation of Muslim scholars. The meeting had gained media attention while Muslim minority of the country are facing challenges in the light of several initiaives of the BJP government.

Madani emphasised that Bhagwat did not mention Hindu Rashtravad during their meeting. He added that issues related to National Register of Citizens (NRC) also did not figure in the talks.

In 2015, Arshad Madani had called RSS "fascist" and urged the government to ban the organisation. He is a strong critic of BJP-led government too.

However, a few statements about the interview suggest that the scholar is softening his attitude towards RSS.

Summary of the interview held with The Quint:

Q: How did this meeting happen?

A: I didn’t even know [about it]. There were some people in the middle who asked if I wanted to meet Bhagwat ji, I said it was a good idea. Bhagwat ji has an organisation (RSS) which is a very strong organisation. In my opinion, there is no one else like him in India. He could have denied a meeting with me, but on the contrary, he hinted that we will be in touch in the future and the dialogue will continue.

Q: The core ideology of the RSS is that there should be a Hindu rashtra. Mohan Bhagwat has spoken about this on several stages. Do you agree with him?

A: No, no. I believe the country should be where one has complete independence within the realms of their religion. In front of us, Bhagwat ji never said anything that the head of the state would want a Hindu Rashtra. Nothing like that was brought up during the meeting.

Q: Do you think the RSS can ignore or reject their core ideology of the Hindu Rashtra?

A: Yes, they are capable. The state of the country is heading towards destruction. The economy is either already destroyed or heading towards destruction. It is possible that in this scenario, one’s thought process changes from what it was till yesterday.

Q: But again, this is their core belief...

A: No, no. I have spoken to him. .

Q: Will you be soft in your criticism of the RSS hereon?

A: Yes, most definitely. If the RSS is soft with us, why shouldnt we?

Q: Did you bring up the issue of lynchings?

A: Yes, I did, and we had a good conversation about it. But the point of this conversation will only become clear in the months to come.

Q: You’ve been critical of the Triple Talaq Act. Did you raise this issue in the meeting?

A: No, we have brought this up in court. If the court accepts it, our lawyers are ready to fight it.

Q: Do you think the NRC attacks Muslims?

A: The government is saying this. When the government is saying it will give nationality to a Hindu coming from outside the country but not to a Muslim, then the government is saying this.

Q: Did you bring the NRC issue up with Mohan Bhagwat?

A: No, I did not. The point of this meeting was to discuss how to bring peace to this country.

Q: What would you tell your followers now? What should they expect next?

A: When we talk further and reach a conclusion on issues, I will pass the information to my community, and he (Mohan Bhagwat) will do the same.