Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Oct 15: The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat has demanded returning all temple properties controlled by governments to Hindu society and also reiterated its demand for a population policy to take care of what it terms as “demographic imbalance” caused by various factors.
Addressing the RSS volunteers at the annual Vijayadashmi rally at the RSS headquarters in Nagpur on Friday, Bhagwat also stressed the need for the country to remain militarily vigilant at all times against the backdrop of the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan. It was imperative to shore up security along the country’s borders and the country needed to be careful and “prepared for all possibilities”, he stated.
Bhagwat observed that most Hindu temples in south India were being controlled by the government. “Many temples in India are also run by trusts. In both the cases, we find instances of a good and bad management,” he said. “Instances of misappropriation of movable and immovable properties of temples have come to light. Specific ceremonial guidelines and guiding texts apply to each temple and the deity residing therein. Instances of interference and meddling with those ceremonial matters have also been reported,” he further said.
He alleged, “It is apparent for all that many decisions regarding the religious code of conduct of the temples are whimsically made without any consultation with the scholars and spiritual teachers and with indifference towards the sensitivities of the Hindu community.”
“The injustices such as the exclusive appropriation of Hindu religious sites for decades and centuries, handing over of the operations to the non-devotees/irreligious, unethical heretics despite the State being ‘secular’ must be expunged,” Bhagwat said.
“It is necessary and only reasonable that the operating rights of Hindu temples be handed over to the Hindu devotees and the wealth of the Hindu temples is utilised for the worship of the deities and the welfare of the Hindu community only,” Bhagwat demanded.
“Alongside this thought, it is also necessary to devise a scheme to once again make temples the epicentre of our social-cultural life while ensuring appropriate management and operation of the temples based on the strength of the Hindu society,” he added.
Referring to the skirmishes at India’s international borders and Pakistan’s designs to destabilize the country through terror activities, Bhagwat cautioned Taliban’s re-emergence in Afghanistan and said, “their predisposition – passionate fanaticism, tyranny and terrorism in the name of Islam – is sufficient to make everyone apprehensive of the Taliban. But now China, Pakistan and Turkey have coalesced in an unholy coalition with the Taliban. Our military preparedness on the borders needs to be alert and sound on all ends and at all times.”
“We know what their [The Taliiban’s] past character is. Sometimes they say they have changed; at other times they say they are still the same…this is clear signal for us [India] to be very careful. And while the Taliban may have changed, has Pakistan changed? Has China changed its intentions towards India? Even considering the possibility of a change in heart, and of dialogues meant to resolve issues, we still need to be prepared and remain ever vigilant,” he said.
His remarks on Taliban comes ahead of India’s participation in the Moscow talks on Afghanistan to be held on October 20, which is to see the participation of Taliban representatives as well. Bhagwat cautioned against the support extended by countries like Russia, Pakistan and China to the Taliban and underscored the need to strengthen the country’s borders and coasts and ramping up the cybersecurity infrastructure.
He referred to the recent spate of civilian killings in Jammu and Kashmir particularly targeting the Kashmiri Pandits, Bhagwat contended that while the people in the union territory were reaping the benefits of the scrapping of Article 370, there was a pressing need for Kashmir’s public to be “emotionally integrated” with the rest of the country.
“After Article 370 was done away with, the fear or terrorists had been banished form people’s minds…however, terrorists have again begun ‘targeted killings’ of citizens, especially those in among the Hindu community, in a bid to destroy their morale and re-establish the reign of terror in the Valley. The administration needs to expedite its efforts for finishing off terrorist activities,” he noted.
Expressing concern over increasing usage of narcotics among all sections of Indian society, he observed that the money generated from drugs coming in from neighbouring countries were being used for terrorist activities aimed at destabilising India. “Drug money is being used to disturb India’s peace by creating anarchy in Indian society…from the high classes to the lower sections, one sees more and more people daily acquiring these bad habits,” he remarked. It was the responsibility and duty of parents and families to inculcate the right values in their children to avoid problems like drug addiction.
The RSS chief also expressed his worries about the alarming misuse of technology, particularly over-the-top (OTT) platforms. They were broadcasting indecent images that had a real potential to destroy the new generation. Clandestine, unregulated currency like Bitcoin could destabilise world economy and create serious problems, he pointed out.
As population imbalance could create a major challenge in the near future, he called for a rethink on the country’s population policy and its soaring population. “Today, youth constitute around 56-57% of the country’s population. The question is, how to provide for them after 30 years when this demographic grows old…while reimagining the country’s development, the predicament of population comes to the fore. So, the population policy should be considered again and it should be implemented efficiently over the next 50 years,” he asserted.
“We will have to be sure of the needs of the population then and requirement of the young population necessary to take care of the older ones. But along with balance of population, we will also have to take care of the growing demographic imbalance being observed over the last few years.”
Reminding the government of the RSS resolution of 2015 in this regard, Bhagwat read out part of the resolution, saying, “In the present circumstances, news of persecution of native Hindus, growing criminalisation and a mounting pressure on them to escape their areas where an imbalanced population growth have surfaced.”
In a strong indictment of the Trinamool Congress government in West Bengal, the RSS chief said, “The violence that broke out following the elections of West Bengal and the pitiable condition of the Hindu people there can also be attributed to the appeasement of barbarous elements by the government and population imbalance. Therefore, a policy that is applicable to all groups in the same fashion is imperative. The infiltrators must be deprived of citizenship,” Bhagwat demanded.
Pointing at the magnanimity of the Sanatan Hindu culture, he stressed that the Hindu society had shown the world that it had the ability to accept all faiths and religions and could act as a beacon to save the globe from the grip of radicalism, terrorism, intolerance and animosity. “India’s cultural tradition, which was unique in the world, had always been one of acceptance of all communities and castes…the RSS activist has been reared up in these values. We don’t want a culture that widens the divide, but the one that binds the nation together and promotes love. We don’t need a language which heightens societal differences but one that binds all faiths and communities together and the RSS is working towards it… There should be informal intercourse between all religions when it comes to celebrations of festivals and anniversaries. This is the surest guarantee of the endurance of our Independence and self-rule,” he explained.
The Hindu way of life did not require anyone to forsake their religion or way of worship. The nation’s remarkable diversity had caused it to absorb all religions and faiths in the past. “We have taken in Jews and Parsis who came as asylum seekers. Though Islam and Christianity came with invaders, all that is history now… We have no relation with those invaders. Muslims who have sacrificed their lives for the country are our ideals.” After 75 years of Independence, the country’s journey from self-rule to self-governance was far from complete.
Bhagwat exhorted all Indians to remain united. Since Independence, differences within people had only exacerbated on the basis of religion, caste, region and language. “The scars of Partition have still not healed. But it teaches us that the differences due to which that tragedy occurred must not occur again. There are elements in the world who are not favourably disposed to India’s progress and do not wish the country to take rise to its position of a world power. They criticize India, its history, its tradition, its institutions and try to create a feeling of self-loathing among Indians. One must watch out against such elements,” he added.
Bhagwat called for a balanced approach towards all the schools of medicine. “The traditional Indian health system doesn’t only treat illness but also envisions wellness. Our traditional lifestyle is wholly synchronous with nature and allows for the manifestation of cosmic intelligence,” adding, “every pathy has its own importance and we must evolve a health system which would envisage appropriate use of different systems of medicines where ever needed.”
Bhagwat stressed use of own language wherever possible. “There is no opposition to English. It must be used wherever necessary. But we must also use our languages wherever we can. Why shouldn’t we do our signatures in our own language,” Bhagwat asked.
Bhagwat said India has led the fightback against Coronavirus and the RSS has kept teams of 5-6 people ready in every village to fight the possible third wave of the disease. He stressed on getting rid of single use plastic and increasing green cover in the country.
Bhagwat also sought to connect the recent success of Indian athletes in Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics to the sense of elation (utsaha) caused by the coming up of the Ram temple in Ayodhya. “The sense of self is appearing to be on the rise in the country. Recently, it was seen when volunteers went about collecting donations for Ram Temple. The entire society irrespective of caste and geographical areas cooperated very well. That was due to once sentiment – that we have brought back something which belonged to us and we need to make it stand. All of them were not those praying Ram but all of them contributed and all of them were elated about them. That elation and confidence is also finding expression,” Bhagwat said.