Mohan Bhagwat: Distorted History-Sectarian Agenda

Mohan Bhagwat 2023: Distorted History-Sectarian Agenda Ram Puniyani In a series of lectures in Vigyan Bhavan (Delhi) in 2018 Mohan Bhagwat, RSS Chief, spoke in a language due to which many insiders and many commentators outside the Sangh (RSS Combine) felt that it is a major moment for RSS and it is changing drastically. The RSS supremo, who upholds the concept of Hindu Nation, went to the extent of reciting the preamble of Indian Constitution and upheld secularism and socialism. In the recent interview to its mouth pieces, (Panchjanya and Organiser January 2023) the language is changed to what can be said to be ‘Golwlakar 2.0’. Golwalkar’s book, (the second chief of RSS) 'Bunch of Thoughts', which is not much quoted by the Sangh ideologues these days, argues that Muslims, Christians and Communists are internal threat to the Hindu Nation. In his other book, ‘We or Our Nationhood Defined’, this ideologue asserts that we are a Hindu nation from times immemorial and the minorities should be given the same treatment what Germans gave to the Jews and other weaker sections of society in Germany. Now when Bhagwat says, that threat is not from outside but from inside, he is repeating Golwalkar’s formulation. In his earlier pronouncements he had been trying to gain legitimacy to the extent that a section of Muslims elite went to have dialogue with him. Now in the present circumstances it seems that Bhagwat wants to show RSS agenda in its blunt form. So he states that ‘Hindu’ has been on war from last thousand years and now ‘Hindu’ has woken up. As per him there is no harm to the Muslims living today in Bharat. If they wish to stick to their faith, they can. If they want to return to the faith of their ancestors, they may. It is entirely their choice”. Also they have to give up their sense of superiority. He covers a wide range of topics from cruel Muslim invasion, to illegal immigrants, to accommodating transgender among others. As per him there is nothing to fear for Muslims! One may add only they should become used to occasional beatings in trains like Asim Hussain (a trader who was brutally beaten up in a train on some made up charges), they should become used to boycott on the pretext of Corona jihad or land (Shaheen bagh, Haldwani) or UPSC jihad among others. Just a reminder, during Covid 19 epidemic the blame of this was put on a Muslim organization, Tablighi Jamaat. This was called as Corona Jihad and Muslim hawkers were prohibited from areas where Hindu lived. Shaheen Bagh was a massive protest by Muslim women to begin with in Delhi and then all over in the aftermath of Government bringing in a law to give shelter to persecuted people of neighboring countries, except to Muslims. In Haldwani attempt was made to evacuate thousands of people, majority Muslims, on the pretext of illegal occupation, while there are Government schools and Hospital in the same area. There is a consistent theme in his pronouncements and that reasserts the RSS understanding of ‘Hindu Nation from times immemorial’! The question is was Hindu the identity and religion of the people living here all through? Was the South Asian community a homogenous mass living under one Republic or monarch? The present concept of Nation state is a just few centuries old and earlier there were pastoral groups, followed by Kingdoms, which were at loggerheads with each other. It was not Hindu versus others. Just a small example will suffice Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj (A Hindu Maratha King) for establishing his kingdom had to defeat Chandra Rao More another Hindu king. His armies plundered in Surat and Bengal. In Bengal Maratha (Hindu) army plundered recklessly including the property of rich Hindu trader, Jagat Seth. In his battle against Aurangzeb, the Muslim emperor, Shivaji had Muslim Generals like Ibrahim Gardi and Daulat Khan. Aurangzeb had sent his top officer Raja Jaisingh, a Hindu, along with Hindu soldiers to contain Shivaji. So what is this, ‘Hindu is at war from 1000 years’? It is basically history related to diverse kingdoms and not people. Again a single example, it was Rana Sanga, a Hindu king from Rajasthan, who invited Babar, the Mughal (A lineage of Muslims) to come to join him in battle against Ibrahim Lodi another Muslim, who was ruling Delhi area at that time. In Bhima Koregaon (Maharashtra) battle the Peshwas army(Hindu) had Arab Muslim mercenaries, in another instance Rana Pratap (a Hindu King from Mewar in Rajasthan) had thousand Pathan soldiers (Muslim) in his army which took on Akbar (Mughal, Muslim emperor) in Haldighati battle in Rajasthan. The real struggle had been at the social level, the upper caste domination and atrocities against the lower caste, so very well pointed out by Swami Vivekananda, the great Hindu saint. Kings’ administrations were mixed with people of both religions and people interacted at social level giving rise to our culture, which had admixture of best of the traditions irrespective of from which religion they came. The whole edifice of RSS ideology is to hide the caste/varna atrocities of elite in our history and to deflect the narrative to the battle of Kings along religious lines and rule of different Muslim kings, particularly Mughals. These Muslims Kings are presented as if they have created all the evils prevalent here. They are also projected as tormentor of Hindu. So in their projection on one side there are Muslim aggressors and other side “Hindu”! Totally illogical way of presenting history! RSS adorns the garb of representing Hindus, and puts itself as ‘Hindu’, who has woken up. As ‘Hindu’ has been at war and woken up during last two decades and is in ‘hyper state’ from last eight years (rule of present Government) is to be accepted and not to be feared of as per Bhagwat. This ‘waking up’, has stepped up the violence against Muslim-Christian minorities. This woken up Hindu is represented by the likes of Dara Singh, (killer 0f Pastor Stains, a missionary working among Leprosy patients) or Shambhulal Regar who killed Afrazul (A Bengali Muslim wage labor) or those who have been indulging in lynching of Muslims on pretext of cow-beef. As Bhagwat is stating that Muslims have nothing to fear, bulldozers are delivering justice to Muslims in particular, while another set is intimidating Christian missionaries in Adivasi areas in particular. Human Rights Watch report 2022, points out that home demolitions are being used more and more brutally against Muslims of India. Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen states that the exercise of CAA is weakening the Muslim minority and strengthening the Hindu majoritarianism. As far as Muslim superiority is concerned, some communal thinkers amongst Muslims, the elite sections did try to generalize the ‘we Muslims were the rulers’; this was parallel and opposite to ‘This has been a Hindu Rashtra’. The atrocities, beef lynching’s, love jihad intimidations are not due to the ‘superiority’ feeling among Muslims. It is enfoldment of agenda of Hate constructed by the Hindu majoritarianism. Why has the language of RSS Chief changed from his 2018 speeches in Vigyan Bhavan? There may be many reasons for Bhagwat to be more forthright than sugarcoating his agenda earlier. Many state elections are due in 2023 and General Elections are due in 2024. The polarization around identity issues seems to be the main instrument in its hands. Amit Shah, BJP leader, has already blown the conch for next elections by saying that Ram Temple will be ready by January 2024. Bhagawat is operating on same wavelength. The massive response to Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra may be another factor. It seems Rahul Gandhi Yatra is giving the message of peace; there is a churning in the society, so RSS-BJP want to consolidate their position by highlighting their communal agenda, the one based on identity issues. Another point may be to put forward a subtle defense for those spewing Hate like Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur when she says ‘sharpen your knives’ or likes of Yeti Narsinghnand who says ‘40% Hindus will be killed if a Muslim becomes a PM’. It may be also be signal for its other foot soldiers to carry on their work irrespective of the criticism they face and odd Court ruling which may be critical of their actions. His insinuation about ‘balance of population’ is also unwarranted as the fertility rate among women, including Muslim women is also falling. ‘Hindu society has awakened: Natural to be aggressive’, this ‘Bhagwat speak’ totally contravenes what the greatest Hindu of 20th Century, Mahatma Gandhi, who gave the call of peace and non violence, compassion and love.