RSS Needs No Lessons In Patriotism

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RSS Needs No Lessons In Patriotism >Fri, 7 Jun 2002 07:16:47 -0700 >

>Title: RSS Needs No Lessons In Patriotism >Author: Dinesh Agrawal

>Publication: India Abroad >June 7, 2002 > >In an article “What does Mr

Agnihotri mean by ‘freedom’?” Vijay Prashad (India Abroad, May 17, 2002)

repeats certain old and familiar accusations against the RSS, and in this

exercise the author has tried to use Ambassador-at Large Bhism Agnihotri as the

tool to beat the RSS with. Vijay Prashad indulges in the now familiar

RSS-bashing using old and hackneyed clichés, false premises, and already

discredited sources. The entire commentary is loaded with calumny and malicious

propaganda and lacks originality and credibility. > >Prashad accuses the RSS on

three counts: RSS incites communal violence; RSS is guilty of Mahatma Gandhi’s

murder, and RSS is not a patriotic organization. All his arguments and “facts”

in support of the accusations are based on a single article published in The

Statesman on January 15, 2000 (A.G. Noorani’s “RSS &; Services, A Half

Century’s Gory Record”). The newspaper has already apologized to the RSS for

publishing the article. By quoting such a discredited source Vijay Prashad

displays Goebblesian propaganda technique that is the hallmark of the small

cabal of diehard RSS-bashers and leftist fellow-travelers. > >When the article

was published in the Statesman on January 15, 2000, the RSS office in New Delhi

filed a defamation suit against A. G. Noorani, C. R. Irani, Ravindra Kumar

(Editor and Managing Editor of the Statesman, respectively), and Devvrata

(cartoonist), in a New Delhi court. When two of these men did not respond to

the court summons, non-bailable warrants were issued against them. The case

even went to the Delhi High Court. When the accused realized that they would

not be able to escape the guilty verdict, they begged the court that they be

allowed to submit an unconditional apology to the RSS. Finally, on February 25,

2002 A.G. Noorani submitted a written apology to the Court in which he regretted

writing the article. He promised that the newspaper would publish his apology

prominently within a fortnight in the editorial pages. This was done on March

3, 2002. The apology says the following: > >Clarification: “We wish to clarify

that the publication was made without malice and with no intention to denigrate

or defame any person or persons, or RSS. We regret the publication.” (The

Statesman, March 3, 2002) > >And now Vijay Prashad digs out this old and

discredited article to pen his malicious piece, which strangely India Abroad

found fit to publish. He rehashes the contents of the Noorani article and uses

his very fertile imagination to play fast and loose with facts and history.

What are the real facts regarding the three main accusations Prashad has hurled

at the RSS? Let us find out. > >RSS and the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi:

Prashad finds the RSS guilty because Nathuram Godse, a former RSS man, shot

dead Mahatma Gandhi. If Godse was in the RSS and later drifted away from it

because he found the RSS too soft towards Muslims, and then shot the Mahatma,

could we say that it was RSS which inspired him to assassinate Gandhiji? In his

testimony to the court Godse admitted that before joining RSS, he was a member

of the Congress Party and actively participated in many Gandhiji-led movements.

So, should we not then accuse both the Congress Party and Gandhiji himself for

what Godse did? To give an analogy, every Naxalite activist began as a member

of the CPI or CPM. Naxalite groups have been indulging in violence for the past

35 years and have killed hundreds if not thousands of innocent people. According

to Prashad’s logic it is the CPM/CPI which are the real culprits behind the

mindless violence of Naxalites. > >The fact is that RSS has been absolved of

the charge by a number of courts and commissions: by the special trial court of

Atmacharan (this special court was set-up to try the accused in the Gandhi

murder case); by the High Court; and by the Kapur Commission which was set up

in 1966 under T. L. Kapur, Supreme Court judge, to make a fresh and thorough

inquiry into the conspiracy to murder Gandhiji. The Commission sat at different

places, examined more than 100 witnesses and 407 documents, and published its

report. Deposing before this commission, Mr. R. N. Banerjee, the Union Home

Secretary at the time of Gandhiji's assassination, testified that no member of

the RSS was involved in the assassination. The report says the following about

the RSS: "It (RSS) had a slant against Gandhism but its anti-Gandhism did not

seem to go to the extent of personally harming Mahatma Gandhi." (Kapoor

Commission Report, Vol.II, p.75). > >Further, in 1978, the then Prime Minister

Morarji Desai on the floor of Parliament had absolved the RSS completely from

the charge of murdering Gandhiji. > >In response to a letter from Nehru

suggesting that Gandhiji's murder was, "a part of a much wider campaign

organised chiefly by the RSS," the then Home Minister Sardar Patel, in charge

of the investigation replied, "I have myself gone through the Mahatma Gandhi

assassination case, and... it... clearly emerges that... the RSS was not

involved at all …." (Sardar Patel's Correspondence:1945-1950, Ahamdabad,

Navjeevan Publishing House, 1973). > >Blitz, a Mumbai weekly, had accused the

RSS of Gandhiji's murder, and later had to tender an unconditional apology when

faced with a court case. > >Is the RSS responsible for communal riots? Mr

Prashad’s (or A.G. Noorani’s) accusation that many enquiry commissions have

implicated the RSS in communal riots is a blatant lie, studiously propagated by

the self-professed "left-democratic, secular, progressive intellectuals". First,

hardly any report of the enquiry commissions into communal riots has ever been

made public, and not one of those made public has opined that the RSS initiated

any riots. However, once the Home Ministry told the National Integration Council

in May 1969 that a survey of 23 riots covering the year 1968 and the first 3

months of 1969 showed that in 22 of these cases, Muslims had started the riots.

And the same applies to almost all the riots since then. No RSS leader was ever

prosecuted or arrested for communal riots, while Shahi Imam of Jama Masjid,

Delhi has over 17 arrest warrants against him pending for inciting violence and

communal riots. > >What is the cause of communal riots in India? A

well-respected Muslim religious leader, Maulana Waheeduddin Khan, Director of

the Islamic World Center, New Delhi, has said that the “Muslim temper is

extremely volatile and they are hyper-sensitive, and have become a perennial

problem for the law enforcing authorities, and the need of the day is to learn

how to live in harmony and understanding with non-Muslim communities.” He

further says, “If we marshal all facts, we see that in every case, the

situation has been aggravated more by the Muslims in question being easily

provoked than by a desire on the part of police to be aggressive. And it is

noteworthy that wherever Muslims are to be found living together in any

concentration, this over sensitiveness is very much in evidence; sooner or

later, it is the Muslims themselves who have to pay dearly for it.…” (Muslim

India, January 1988) > > There is another very intensive research on the cause

and effect of communal riots since 18th century. The research was conducted by

Zenab Banu of Gujarat, it was a topic of her Ph.D. thesis. Her thesis has been

published in a book entitled 'Politics of Communalism' (1978). In this she had

analyzed and documented major Hindu-Muslim riots spread over 250 years. And the

conclusion of this research shows that in over 95 % cases the riots were

initiated by Muslims. > >Doubting the patriotism of RSS: The RSS does not need

any lesson or certificate from anyone, especially from the treacherous Indian

Left whose inspiration lies outside India. Prashad draws inspiration from those

who supported the British during India’s independence struggle, who supported

the partition of India, who supported the invasion of India by China, and who

have made it their profession to denigrate Hindus on any pretext. Such people

have no moral authority to pontificate to anyone about patriotism, least of all

the RSS, which is one of the most nationalistic of Indian organizations. >

>Though RSS opponents have accused the RSS of many things, they have never

doubted its patriotic credentials and its dedication and commitment to the

cause of Mother India. The RSS has been one of the most maligned and most

misunderstood organizations in India. Its critics have developed extremely

prejudicial views against it mainly from the mischievous Left propaganda. One

such critic was Loknayak Jayaprakash Narayan who was suspicious of the RSS in

the 1940s. But his contacts with RSS workers and leaders made him appreciate

its work and ideology. He was very much impressed when he found during the

Bihar famine of 1966 that, for relief work, RSS workers collected the most,

spent the least on collection and distributed the collections the best. After

the emergency imposed by Indira Gandhi, on November 3, 1977, JP addressed a

huge RSS training camp in Patna. Following are some excerpts from his speech: >

>"...RSS is a revolutionary organisation. No other organisation in the country

comes anywhere near it. It alone has the capacity to transform society, end

casteism and wipe the tears from the eyes of the poor. Its very name is

'Rashtriya', that is national. I am not saying this to flatter you. I believe

you have a historic role to play.... I have great expectations from this

revolutionary organisation which has taken up the challenge of creating a new

India. I have welcomed your venture wholeheartedly. Sometimes I have offered

you my advice and have even criticised you, but that was as a friend...There is

no other organisation in the country which can match you...The RSS should think

over this: how to bring about economic transformation? How to transform the

villages? All our leaders, including Mahatma Gandhi, have worked for it. You

have included Mahatma Gandhi also in your morning prayers and he is indeed

worth remembering every morning. This is very good thing you have don! >e. If

he had lived a little longer he would have guided us a little more to remove

untouchability and other evils from the Hindu society. But the way is clear now

and I think that more than myself you can undertake this mission because you are

more competent to do it. You think and deliberate upon the various aspects of

our traditions, our culture and Dharma constantly ... This society, its

glorious history and the heritage of our forefathers, the sacrifices of the

builders of this country and their achievements and the freedom that we have

won - you are the inheritors of it all and it is for you to make the best use

of it...Your word has far reaching effect. There is the force of spiritualism

and thousands of years of our ancient culture at your back. You are also in the

forefront of the transformation that is taking place before our very eyes. The

results of this change are also at your disposal...I commend to you the ideals

of service, renunciation, sacrifice. I have no ! >doubt that you are already

imbued with these ideals and are of self-sacrificing nature and noble conduct.

Here is the arena of a vast country open to you. You can accomplish a lot. May

God give you strength and may you live up to such expectations." > >Gandhiji

appreciated the discipline and idealism of RSS and said that an organisation

which was rooted in high ideals and public service was bound to grow from

strength to strength. He described himself as a "Sanatani Hindu" and deeply

appreciated the patriotic song with which the Sangh meeting had started.

(During a visit to a RSS camp in Bhangi Colony, New Delhi September 14 1947). >

>Vinoba Bhave said "Mein Sangha ka asabhya sabhya hoon" (I am an honorary member

of Sangha). > >Dr. Zakir Hussain, told a Milad Mahfil in Monghyr on Nov. 20,

1949: "The allegations against RSS of violence and hatred against the Muslims

are wholly false. Muslims should learn the lesson of mutual love, cooperation

and organisation from RSS." >Field Marshal Carriappa, told the Mangalore Shakha

in 1959: "RSS work is my heart's work." He added: "If Muslims can sing the

praises of Islam, what wrong is there if RSS sings the praises of Hinduism?" He

concluded: "My dear young men, don't be disturbed by uncharitable comments of

interested persons. Dr. Hedgewar, the revered founder of this great

organisation, has set before you a bright example of selfless devotion to the

service of the motherland. Look ahead! Go ahead! This country is standing in

need of your services alone." > >Dr. R.C. Majumdar, doyen of Indian historians,

told the winter camp of RSS in Calcutta in 1970: "All the programs and

activities of RSS have been visualised with a great aim and plan by its

creator. He started the work with a great view in mind, with the aim of

inspiring the true spirit of nationalism, and making the nation strong and

powerful. He rightly and boldly declared that Hindus are the true nationals of

this great country. Many people feel ashamed to accept this fact, though they

also feel that it is true. We must acknowledge boldly that it is Hindu History,

Hindu Culture, Hindu Civilization that this country is proud of, when we people

speak of the great past and great culture of the country. I do not know why

they should feel ashamed of saying that the great past and the great culture

was nothing but the Hindu past and the Hindu culture." > >Dr. K.N. Katzu, who

had been Nehru's Home Minister and Defence Minister, addressed an RSS Rally in

Allahabad in 1963. Dr. Katju said that he had occasion to visit RSS camps and

rallies in the past too. "Chinese aggression has made the nation conscious of

its great unity, but this unity needs to be preserved forever -- whether there

is war or peace. It is this unity that the RSS founder sought to build up." He

added: "Who says this is not Hindu Rashtra? I am happy to see its miniature

form in RSS. " > >(Dr. Dinesh Agrawal is a Professor at the Pennsylvania State

University). > > > > > >

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