‘Ready to step down if Sangh asks me to do so’
MUMBAI, Feb 8:
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat on Sunday said the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) should be framed by taking everyone into confidence and must not lead to divisions.
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Asked whether “achche din” (good days) for the RSS came after the BJP came to power, Bhagwat said it was the “other way round”, noting the Sangh had remained committed to the construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya and those who supported it benefitted.
On the long-pending demand for Bharat Ratna for Hindutva ideologue V D Savarkar, Bhagwat said the award’s prestige will rise if conferred on him.
He was speaking during an interaction at a programme to mark the RSS’s centenary. Several prominent personalities were present at the event, including actors Raveena Tandon, Vicky Kaushal, Ananya Panday, filmmakers Karan Johar, Madhur Bhandarkar, Ramesh Taurani and musician Pandit Hridaynath Mangeshkar.
Bhagwat said the Uniform Civil Code should be formed by taking everyone into confidence.
“It shouldn’t create divisions. In Uttarakhand, three lakh suggestions were made and after talking to all stakeholders, the act was passed,” he said.
To another question, he said there is no majority or minority (community), “we are all one society”.
He stressed the need for trust, friendship and a dialogue with Muslim and Christian communities.
“Islam is called the religion of peace, but peace is not seen. If there is no spirituality in religion, it becomes dominating and aggressive. What is seen in Islam and Christianity today is not as per the teachings of Jesus Christ and Prophet Muhammad. We need the practice of true Islam and Christianity,” he said.
On the recent India-US trade pact, Bhagwat said he hasn’t gone into the details.
” It is true that we can’t remain in isolation. In deals, there is give and take. It should be win-win…we have to ensure we are not at a loss,” he maintained.
Asked whether “achche din” (good days) for the RSS came after the BJP came to power, Bhagwat said, “Achche din for us didn’t come because of the BJP… it is the other way round. We remained committed to Ram Mandir construction. Those who supported us benefitted.”
“Achche din” for the RSS came because of the hard work of the volunteers and commitment to ideological policies, he stressed.
The RSS does advise when needed. “Their sins are blamed on us because they have come from within us,” he said, adding that political pressure comes from voters and not RSS.
Asked why the communists’ base hasn’t grown in 100 years, Bhagwat said the RSS can give them guidance if asked.
He noted that the RSS is a young organisation, with an average age of 28. “We want to bring it down to 25,” he added.
Bhagwat said the Sangh had asked him to continue working despite his age, while stressing that he would step down from the post whenever the organisation directs him to do so.
He also said that the person heading the Sangh will always be a Hindu, irrespective of his caste, with the top post going to the best available candidate.
“There is no election to the post of RSS chief. Regional and divisional heads appoint the chief. Generally, it is said that after turning 75, one should work without holding any post,” Bhagwat said.
“I have completed 75 years and informed the RSS, but the organisation asked me to continue working. Whenever the RSS asks me to step down, I will do so, but retirement from work will never happen,” he said.
The RSS does not have community-based representation, and volunteers rise through ranks based on their work, Bhagwat said, adding that the RSS chief has to be a Hindu, irrespective of caste.
He pointed out that when the RSS was founded, its work began in a Brahmin-dominated community and hence, most of its founders were Brahmins, which led to the organisation being labelled as a Brahmin outfit at the time.
People always look for an organisation that has representatives from their community, he said.
Bhagwat said he could not give a definite answer on whether the Sangh head would be from the SC or ST background, as the decision rests with those who appoint the chief.
“If I were to choose a chief, I would go by the ‘best available candidate’ criterion. When I was appointed RSS chief, there were many best candidates, but they were not available. I was the one who could be relieved from duties and appointed,” he said.
He said that to belong to the Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe communities is not a disqualification, and neither is being a Brahmin a qualification to become the RSS chief.
The RSS chief further said situations could be supportive or adverse, and there was no need to dwell excessively on them.
“What we need to think about is finding solutions rather than focusing on problems. As long as truth does not come forward, illusion remains effective,” he added.
In a lighter vein, Bhagwat said the organisation “extracts work till the last drop of blood from its volunteer” and maintained that there had not yet been a situation in the RSS’s history where someone had to be retired. (PTI)
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