Hindu Yuva Sene has now become RSS and BJP forum, says KPCC spokesperson

The autobiography in Kannada titled ‘Chimani Belakininda’ records how the author came out of the ‘intoxication of communalism’ and ‘extreme Hindutva’ and what made him distance from the RSS and ABVP

The Hindu Yuva Sene was founded in Mangaluru in 1989 not as an affiliate of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) but to counter some RSS leaders. After several frictions between the RSS and the Sene and the former’s continued efforts to check the growth of Sene, the RSS was able to make inroads into the Sene and make it a forum of the BJP and RSS now, says the autobiography of M.G. Hegde, a former RSS and ABVP functionary who is now a spokesperson of Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC).

The autobiography in Kannada titled ‘Chimani Belakininda’ was released in Mangaluru on Sunday, September 22.

Incidentally, Mr. Hegde was one of the founders of the Sene with others who had distanced themselves from the RSS disillusioned with its leaders and their functioning.

He was associated with the RSS and ABVP and “Hindutva” ideology since his young age before floating the Sene. Mr. Hegde joined the Congress in 1996 and was dormant for about 10 years before becoming active again in Congress since past three years.

The 250-page autobiography is published by Aharnishi Prakashana, Vidyanagara, Shivamogga.

Mr. Hegde says that the leaders and promoters of “communalism” in the coastal belt led lavish and quality lives, with their children getting educated abroad. At the same time, the foot soldiers and their families suffered in all respects with the foot soldiers languishing in jails and facing court cases.

The author records how he came out of the “intoxication of communalism” and “extreme Hindutva” and what made him distance from the RSS and ABVP.

Murder over an affair

Without mentioning the name of a “top leader” of an organisation, the author says that a salon owner was murdered by “activists” under the guise that he was teasing Hindu women. Four youths who were not involved in the murder were made to surrender before police and the real culprits were protected. But the truth behind the murder came out later. The reality was that the “top leader” and the salon owner had an affair with a woman. The “top leader” was unable to digest it. Hence, he concocted a story that the salon owner teased Hindu women, and got him killed.

The author says that when help was sought from the “top leader” to help the four youths lodged in jail, he and his men washed off their hands saying that they had only instructed to threaten the saloon owner and not to kill him.

In the course of reading the book, Mr. Hegde leaves it to the readers to find out who the “top leader” and the organisation were.

The book also records how the founder Organising Secretary of the Sene Gunakara Shetty was murdered in broad day light in Mangaluru in 1991 and the developments which unfolded later. Shetty was killed just a few minutes after Mr. Hegde and Shetty left the Sene office for lunch.

Permission for Ganeshotsava denied

Recalling another incident, Mr. Hegde says that the “sangha” opposed the Sene celebrating Ganeshotsava at Nehru Maidan in Mangaluru as the former did not want the Sene’s Ganeshotsava emerging as an alternative to the one being organised by the “sangha” at Sanghaniketan. Hence, the police were made to deny permission to the one proposed at Nehru Maidan. Later, it was the Congress leader and former Member of Parliament of Dakshina Kannada B. Janardhana Poojary who got the permission. But Mr. Poojary took an assurance from the Sene that there should not be any trouble or clash.

“...A police person told us that 100 letters had been posted from Mannagudda post office to police saying that if the Sene’s Ganeshotsava is allowed it will give scope for clash or trouble. The office of the Sangha was close to the post office...,” the author wrote.

Stoning at dasara procession

Referring to another incident Mr. Hegde says that the dasara procession of Venkatramana temple was stoned at once, near Kandatpalli. Mr. Hegde and about 100 activists of the Sene were “fixed by police” in stoning incident. They came out on bail. The court case took eight long years to come clean.

Quoting a police official, Mr. Hegde writes that the official told him that his men were his enemies. The Sene realised that those who stoned at the procession were not Muslims, he writes again leaving it to readers to understand which organisation was behind this incident.

Published - September 22, 2024 08:49 pm IST