Opposition slams Bhagwat, blames RSS-BJP for creating divisions in society

RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, in his Dasara address, said the Hindu community across the world should learn the lesson from Bangladesh that being unorganised and weak means inviting atrocities by the wicked. The Opposition reacted saying it is the BJP and RSS which are fanning communal and caste-based divisions in the Indian society.

Opposition parties have slammed Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat for his comments, made in his Dasara address on Saturday (October 12, 2024), that the Hindu community across the world should learn the lesson from Bangladesh that being unorganised and weak means inviting atrocities by the wicked. The Opposition has said that it is the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and RSS which are fanning communal and caste-based divisions in the Indian society.

Talking to reporters in Karnataka, Congress president and Opposition leader in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge said it is the BJP that wants disunity in the country. He said Mr. Bhagwat is supporting the BJP that creates disunity. “You (Mr. Bhagwat) are the one who supports the party which wants disunity in the country. It starts with changing the Constitution, ending reservation, and then speaking different things about Muslims,” Mr. Kharge said. He said that wherever the BJP is in power, atrocities are committed against Dalits and Adivasis.

CPI general secretary D Raja criticised Mr. Bhagwat’s remarks and said the RSS pursues an aggressively divisive ideology. “The RSS is trying to perpetuate the caste hierarchy and patriarchy. It also is in favour of perpetuating inequality of all kinds. B.R. Ambedkar himself had rejected the concept of Hindu Rashtra followed by the RSS. Dr. Ambedkar had said that Hindu Rashtra would be a calamity for the nation. He had cautioned against this. We communists are fighting to stop such a calamity,” Mr. Raja said.

Mr. Bhagwat, in his address, had also said that words such as ‘Deep State’, ‘Wokeism’ and ‘Cultural Marxist’ are enemies of all cultural traditions.

Congress’s spokesperson Pawan Khera said Mr. Bhagwat’s statements were not in line with his own organisation’s approach towards minorities. Mr. Khera said it is good that if Mr. Bhagwat understood the condition of minorities through what happened in Bangladesh. “But what is surprising is that if minorities in India say they should unite, they (the RSS) see it as a threat,” he said. Mr. Khera further said that if Mr. Bhagwat wants Hindus across the world to unite, then he should not feel bad when MPs like Asaduddin Owaisi mention Palestine in Parliament.

Published - October 12, 2024 08:20 pm IST