Golwalkar's Agenda Is Dominating the Social Scene Today
By
Ram Puniyani for New Age Islam
11 October
2023
India
Today, in its annual conclave held in Mumbai on October 4-5, 2023, organised a
session on the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) titled “RSS 100 years: Why
M.S. Golwalkar endures”. The panellists were from mixed streams. Two major
themes emerged, one related to Golwalkar’s concept of nation building and
attitude towards minorities and the other related to his denigrating the Indian
constitution. Not much was spoken about the real impact of his politics on the
Indian political scenario as manifested through the plight of minorities today
and the criticism of Indian constitution by the ruling dispensation itself.
Illustration:
Pariplab Chakraborty
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Golwalkar
wrote in his book We or Our Nationhood Defined: “German race pride has
now become the topic of the day. To keep up the purity of the Race and its
culture, Germany shocked the world by her purging the country of the Semitic
Races – the Jews. Race pride at its highest has been manifested here. Germany has
also shown how well-nigh impossible it is for Races and cultures, having
differences going to the root, to be assimilated into one united whole, a good
lesson for us in Hindustan to learn and profit by.” In response to this,
Hindutva nationalist panellists pointed out that this has to be seen in the
context and cherry picking does not reflect the ideology of the person or the
organisation.
To counter
this, a panellist quoted his interview with Khushwant Singh, the editor of
‘Illustrated Weekly of India’ in 1972, according to which Golwalkar said that
“due to historical factors, Muslims have divided loyalties. But for this Hindus
and Muslims both are responsible.” Further one may add that the present Sarsanghchalak
(chief) of the RSS, Mohan Bhagwat, in his Vigyan Bhavan speeches in 2018,
talked in more conciliatory terms and later also went on to say that Hindu and
Muslims have the same DNA. He also took on those indulging in lynching, saying,
“They are against Hindutva… Though at times, some false cases of lynching have
been registered against people…Don’t get trapped in the cycle of fear that
Islam is in danger in India…”
M.S.
Golwalkar. Photo: Wikimedia commons
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What a
change in language from the 1939 book to the 1972 interview and now that of the
present RSS chief. But what about the deeds resulting from the vast RSS
combine, which Golwalkar played a crucial role building in? What is taught in
RSS Shakhas (local RSS branches), Sarswati Vidyalayas (RSS-run schools), what
is propagated through the right-wing IT cell and the social media controlled by
this hydra headed organisation? It is pure ‘hate other’ ideology which
dominates its teachings. The intent of the organisation does not lie in the
mere changing articulation but on the impact on the social fabric, on the
hapless Muslim minority.
In a way
what Golwalkar said in 1937 is the ground reality today. One after the other,
incidents tell the religious minorities that their place in this system is
secondary, they can live here only as a marginalised community without asking
for citizens’ rights. When lynchings were going on with gay abandon, Bhagwat
and his cabal’s lips were sealed. The clever ‘division of labour’ between
different wings of this multi-headed hydra protects the parent organisation from
the happenings on the ground. Through training in Shakhas, and ‘dog whistles’
from none other than the former RSS Pracharak and the current prime minister
himself – ‘Hum Do Hamare Do-Wo Panch Unke Pachis, (Us two-ours’ two,
them five-their 25) ‘they can be recognised by their clothes’, ‘Shamshaan-Kabristaan’
(Hindu crematorium-Muslim burial place), ‘Rana Pratap devoted his life for
protection of cows’ – are just few signals which rule the social thinking
leading to hate, violence and polarisation in the society.
A young Narendra Modi at an RSS event. Photo: narendramodi.in
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It is this
which gets approval from the highest echelons of RSS combine when those accused
of violence are garlanded by their MP, when the murderers and rapist of Bilkis
Bano are released prematurely and feted in the public. Attempts are made to
disenfranchise a large section of Muslims through NRC-CAA, where the call for
boycott of Muslim traders is a regular phenomenon, where many Muslims are
threatened to leave their home and hearth. What else was Golwalkar’s vision in
1939?
As far as
the constitution is concerned, RSS’ unofficial mouth piece Organizer, when
Golwalkar was RSS chief, wrote, “But in our Constitution, there is no mention
of the unique constitutional development in ancient Bharat. Manu’s Laws were
written long before Lycurgus of Sparta or Solon of Persia. To this day his laws
as enunciated in the Manusmriti excite the admiration of the world and elicit
spontaneous obedience and conformity. But to our constitutional pundits that
means nothing.”
This is
defended by the supporters of nationalism on the ground that there can be
differing opinions on the issue. Very true. One realises that in his Vigyan
Bhavan lectures Mohan Bhagwat did read the preamble of Indian constitution. But
in a true dichotomy between words and deeds and use of forked tongue, the
democratic, secular and socialist nature of our constitution is under severe
attack from the ideologues of the Hindu nationalist stable. The likes of JNU
Vice Chancellor Shatishir Dhulipudi are arguing that “Reducing India to a civic
nation bound by a constitution disregards its history, ancient heritage,
culture and civilization. I would place India as a civilisation state.”
Another
ideologue, J. Sai Deepak, goes on to argue that this constitution is a sign of
colonialism, and has roots in Christian ethos. As per him, decolonisation of
the mind is essential to detach the Indian constitution in the areas of nature,
religion, culture, history, education and language. Importantly, he believes
that thinking in the colonial language influences the mind towards coloniality.
And to cap
it all, Bibek Debroy, the chief of Economic Advisory Council (EAC) to the prime
minister states, “…this Constitution is a colonial legacy and questions various
provisions of the same, particularly the values of socialism, secularism,
justice, equality and liberty.” There was a half-hearted attempt to say Debroy
was not reflecting the views of the prime minister’s EAC. But the truth is,
that this is what Golwalkar wanted and this is what the ideology of the RSS is.
There is no
change in its core agenda. The attempt is on to make it look more palatable to
all and sundry. While some of the panellists will call him dated, the truth is,
that while his articulation may be dated, his agenda is dominating the social
scene today.
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Ram Puniyani is president, Centre of Study of
Society and Secularism and has written several books including Communal
Politics: Facts Versus Myths (Sage, 2003), Deconstructing Terrorist Violence
(Sage 2015), Indian Nationalism versus Hindu Nationalism (Pharos 2014) and
Caste and Communalism (Olive 2013).
Source: RSS: 100 Years and the Dark Shadow
of Golwalkar’s Legacy
URL: https://newageislam.com/current-affairs/golwalkar-agenda-social-rss/d/130874
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