The “so-called minorities” are not in danger, and Hindutva organisations will continue to reach out to them to assuage their fears, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat said on Wednesday in his first public statement on the Sangh’s attempt to broaden its outreach following his September meeting with several clerics and visits to a mosque and a madrasa in Delhi.
“There is fear-mongering among so-called minorities that they are in danger because Hindus are well-organized.” This has never happened before and will never happen again. “This is not the character of the Sangh or of Hindus,” he stated during a Vijaya Dashami event commemorating the RSS’s founding day.
“Some gentlemen have been meeting us with such concerns among the so-called minorities.” They have met with Sangh office-bearers, and this will continue,” he added in his hour-long speech, which addressed a variety of issues, including women’s empowerment, “Hindu Rashtra,” education, casteism, and the Ukraine-Russia crisis.
Bhagwat emphasised the importance of a comprehensive population policy that applies equally to all social classes in order to maintain India’s ethnic profile. He raised the topic of demographic “imbalance,” saying it “may lead to the formation of new states.” “Even India suffered 75 years ago,” he continued, referring to the Partition of India.
“Three new countries emerged in the twenty-first century: East Timor, South Sudan, and Kosovo.” These were the consequences of demographic imbalance. Apart from disparities in birth rates, the grounds for their establishment were conversion by force and enticement, as well as cross-border infiltration.”
The RSS chairman emphasised the Sangh’s use of the term “Hindu.” “The subject of Hindu Rashtra is being debated all over the place.” Many people agree with the notion yet object to the term “Hindu” and want to use other terminology. That is not an issue for us. “We will continue to emphasise the word Hindu for the sake of clarity,” he stated.
In response to the beheadings of a pharmacist in Amravati, Maharashtra, and a tailor in Udaipur, Rajasthan, for allegedly insulting the Prophet, Bhagwat noted that while some members of the minority community had denounced the crimes, more members of the religious group ought to have done so.
The usage of one’s mother tongue was emphasised, and he said that the English language was not crucial for advancing one’s profession. Mountaineer Santosh Yadav was the first woman to be invited as the RSS Foundation Day event’s principal guest, and Bhagwat fought for women’s equality at the occasion. “Anusuyabai Kale and Princess Amrit Kaur have attended RSS events. A lady was invited to an event at Akola during the Emergency.
