Freedom movement was
an all inclusive movement with the participation of people of all religions and
regions. Its underlying premise was pluralism and the concept of Secular
Democratic India, which bound all the people in the bonds of fraternity. Those
who were for Muslim and Hindu nationalism kept aloof from this movement for
ideological and political reasons.
Since last few decades
the Hindu nationalists have been claiming that they also participated in the
freedom movement and that it’s only the Congress-left historians who are trying
to paint them in a negative picture vis a vis the struggle for independence.
Rakesh Sinha presents
the fantasies of RSS participation
in freedom movement. His major sources for this claim are from the British
intelligence reports. His claims that RSS took part in Civil Disobedience
movement of 1930 and that the movement got invigorated due to Hedgewars’
participation in the same are a pure figment of imagination. It is true that
Mr. Hedgewar did take part in this movement and was jailed for that, but that
was purely at personal level to be able to meet the people who might support
his agenda of Hindu Rashtra. There is not a single writing of his or of RSS
exhorting the people to participate in the same. On the contrary there are authoritative
references of his discouraging those who wanted to participate in the struggle
for freedom.
What was the RSS
leadership attitude to events regarding freedom movement becomes clear from the
quote from M.S. Golwalkar’s, the second Sarsanghchalak of RSS, says he, “There
was some unrest in the mind due to the situation developing in the country from
time to time. There was such unrest in 1942. Before that there was the movement
of 1930-31. At that time many other people had gone to Doctorji (Hedgewar). The
delegation requested Doctorji that this movement will give Independence and
Sangh should not lag behind. At that time, when a gentleman told Doctorji that
he was ready to go to jail, Doctorji said ‘definitely go, But who will take
care of your family then? That gentleman replied , “I have sufficiently
arranged resources not only to run the family expenses for two years but also
to pay fines according to requirement’, then Doctorji told him ‘If you have
fully arranged for the resources then come out to work for Sangh for two
years.’. After returning home that gentleman neither went to jail
nor came out to work for the
Sangh.”
On similar lines
during 1942 when the turmoil began Golwlkar issued instructions that routine
work of Sangh should continue and nothing should be done to annoy the British,
“In 1942 also there was a strong sentiment in the hearts of many. At that time
too routine work of Sangh continued. Sangh vowed not to do anything directly.” (Both these Quotes
from Shri Guruji Samgra Darshan, Vol IV, page 39-40)This ideologue of RSS
clearly spells that fighting against British has not been part of their agenda,
“We should remember that in our pledge we have talked of freedom of the country
through defending religion and culture, there is no mention of departure of
British from here.”
The same is confirmed
by C.P. Bhishikar’s biography of Golwalkar, Shri Guruji-Pioneer of a new Era, “It
was with this clear understanding that the Sangh, as an organisation, decided
not to plunge into the movement. Right from the beginning, the Sangh has
decided to observe certain constraints in some matters.” (Page 47) “Right from
the beginning, the Sangh has decided to observe certain constraints in some
matters. So, when Doctorji decided to participate in the satyagraha, he
directed the Swayamsevaks to keep out of it and conduct the Shakha work with
regularity. He had kept the Sangh as such out of the
agitation.” (page 48)”
Now Sinha wants us to
believe that lakhs of volunteers of RSS participated in 1942 and many of them
were punished severely by British. Sangh is known for its disciplined
volunteers, so did RSS volunteers defy their SarsanghChalak to be part of the
movement led by Gandhi? Even the British intelligence which was the basis of
British circular warning the officers of political nature of Sangh needs to be
taken with a pinch of salt as that was the interpretation of administration
which was contrary to what RSS itself has always maintained that is a cultural
organization and not a political organization.
Till quite late there
were no claims of about participation in the struggle for India’s Independence.
It is only once RSS/BJP inched closer to political power that such claims
started being made. One of the earliest attempts in this direction has been
that of our ex Prime Minister Vajpayee. In the wake of 1998 general elections he
had issued an appeal for seeking votes, he wrote that not only was he working
for RSS at shakha level, he also participated in the
freedom movement! . His claim was
around Bateshwar incident where he was arrested. Soon after his arrest he gave
a confessional statement in the court. This statement of his helped him getting
released from jail and it also named the leaders of Bateshwar campaign, which
was part of Quit India Movement. In this confessional statement Vajpayee says
that he had nothing to do with the damages caused to property which was done by
the people who had gone to hoist the tricolor on the building. He confesses
that he was not part of the procession and was a mere onlooker. Consequent to
his apology he was released from the jail.
Mr. Sinha has fertile
imagination and so he can claim that RSS participation in the Quit India
movement was the proverbial last straw for British rulers. The fact is
that that RSS routine work of Shakhas and camps continued as usual despite some
people feeling uncomfortable about the same. Followers of Gandhi-Congress were
on the streets and in jails.
Now RSS is trying to
insert itself into the slot where it does not belong.
Ideologically Hindutva
political organizations, despite their inner differences were mainly intent on
undermining Muslim nationalism and for that goal had no problem in cooperating
with British. All their efforts were to ignore the diversity of the nation
manifested in Gandhi’s central slogan of Hindu-Muslim unity. Today a new
construct is being brought to fore for electoral goals, and that is to erase
the fact of their absence from the freedom struggle. At deeper level how could
RSS be part of the movement for Indian nationalism, as RSS aim is totally in
contravention to that as it stands for Hindu nationalism?
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Edited version of this carried on The Wire
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