Article: The RSS and India after 2014  

By Irshad Khan

RSS (Rastriya Svayamsevak Sangh) the most populous organization on the planet planted on 27 September 1925 by a doctor, Keshav Baliram Hegdewar with the feeling of Hindu nationalism by emphasizing Military discipline and Hindu Scripture which is currently having many affiliates working as its wings/branches. A data revealed by RSS itself in 2016, it has 5-6 million members and 56,859 shakhas approximately. It’s goal to redefine India according to the Hindu faith with the idea of “Hindu Rastra” (Hindu Nation) and the Akhand Bharat as perpetuated by M. S. Golwalkar (the 2nd Sarsangh Chalak). The RSS is the head institution of Sangh Parivar and rest affiliates helps to compose its complete body. The orders flow in this organization by the top leaders especially Sarsangh Chalak (chief) i.e, Mohan Bhagwat currently and rest of the parivar follows the orders. Mohan Bhagwat is the 6th Sarsangh Chalak of the RSS before him K.B Hedgewar (Founder), Laxman Vasudev Paranjape, M.S. Golwalkar, Madhukar Dattaraya Deoras and K. S. Sudarshan has served as the Sarsangh Chalak. The RSS is not only an organization with Hindu Nationalism but also a paramilitary organization in itself which trains its militia in the shakhas (camps) called Sangh Siksha Varg with Lathis and sometime with swords as well.

The Times of India published a report on May 30, 2018 that the Ratan Sharda, an author and speaker of the RSS admitted on the visit of the former President of India Mr. Pranab Mukharji to its headquarter that the RSS was invited in 1963 by the then Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru to participate in the Republic Day parade to encourage the feeling of nationalism as Pt. Nehru was highly impressed by the services of RSS sevaks on the border during Sino-Indian War of 1962. The RSS accepted the invitation and participated with the 3000 volunteers at a very short notice of 2 weeks. On Oct 03, 2014 the India Times blamed Congress to got success in making disappeared the work of the RSS volunteers during Sino-Indian War of 1962 from the text books.

COMMUNALISM IN INDIA AFTER 2014

India, a the land of the diversities is transforming itself into an authoritarian society as the radical groups with the feelings of Hindu Nationalism are wandering free on the streets and spreading hatred in the open environment. According to a data issued by Human Rights NGOs and represented by TRT World in his news, 95 mob lynching have been taken place and almost 300 got severe injuries since 2015 in which 86 lynching out of the 95 dead belong to the Muslim community only. 97% of such cases are been recorded after 2014 from the day BJP came into the power and the crime rate in UP only is increased by 47% since 2015. The mob who is lynching to the people have no recognized face particularly but known as Cow Vigilantes. They have back hands in the politics which encourage them to commit such inhuman activities and also help them to get free from the imprisonment. Such groups having their link with RSS and BJP as it have been seen the victims of the lynching were welcomed by the BJP leaders and convicts also used to go for election after being free from the jail. Jayant Singh, a Union Minister celebrated the release of the 8 lynching convicts of killing a Muslim trader, Alimuddin Ansari in 2017 by inviting them to his residence and garlanded them. In June 2018, Prime Minister Narendra Modi broke his silence and condemned people taking law into their hands. In July 2018, Supreme Court of India issued a series of directives to address lynching but Human Rights group claims that they have not been implemented yet and mob lynching continues.

The few BJP leaders who are serving as MP or MLA could be seen openly giving statements often in the favor of the radical mob by saying “We can die for mother cow and we can kill as well”. The videos of such statements are floating on the social media and on the YouTube also. The impact of such statements sometimes takes a violent face in the society and in the minds of the youngsters. Bisara village of Dadri (UP) is the most viral case worldwide which came in light by a live video on Sep 28,2015 where a 52 years old Akhlaq was brutally lynched by the radical Cow Vigilante mob and his son Danish Akhlaq severely injured. Later 17 out of 18 accused were acquitted and one of them died in imprisonment. A Human Rights watch found that in a third of cases police actually responded to violent cow attacks by filling complaints against the victims and the stray radical groups are patrolling the streets and highways at night stopping big vehicles to check for cows and intimidating drivers.

Now cow slaughtering is restricted in 20 of India’s 28 states as cow today have political symbolism along with spiritual feelings. In Gujarat cow slaughtering is a punishable and non-bailable offence with life long imprisonment. The aim of the Hindu Nationalist groups and Cow Protection groups is to spur Hindu Nationalism by emphasizing how Hindus are different to the beef-eating Muslims and Christians. It could be seen in each and every video made during the lynching that the mob forced Muslims to chant Jai Shree Ram, Jai Bajarangbali and Vande Matram. Slogans like “Musalman ke do sthan Kabristan ya Pakistan” and “Tel lagao dabar ka naam mita do babar ka” have been experienced in the past already. Such slogans are enough to distract Hindu youth to make them radical. The people who are involved in such activities either in Cow Vigilantes, radical rallies and religious nationalism are of the age of 14 to 25 only. The radical affiliates of RSS and BJP such as Gau Rakshak Dal, Hindu Yuva Vahini, Bajarang Dal etc. are washing the brains of the Hindu youth in the name of Hindu Rastra or Hindu Nationalism.

A CASE STUDY OF VILLAGE HAZIYAPUR

Haziyapur is a small village in district Aligarh (UP) with the population of almost 2500 overall with the 1600 adult franchise. Approximately 85% population of the village belongs to OBC i.e. Jaats, 12% SCs, 2% Generals, 1% Muslim. This data came in light during an interview with one of the habitats of the village Haziyapur Mr. Rahul Malan, a volunteer of the RSS and a strong supporter of BJP. He revealed during the interview that earlier there was an only person in the entire village connected with the RSS ideology but with the passes of the time he toiled hard to bring more and more people to the RSS Shakhas. Now 5 to 6 dozen (almost 60) people have joined Shakhas and they have already taken training over there and almost more than half of the village have the same feelings.

Later he admitted that during the Pulwama attack on 14 Feb 2019 and the Jinnah issue in Aligarh Muslim University during the last of the April and the beginning of the May of 2018, they organized a rally and took a round of entire village by chanting slogans like “Pakistan Murdabad” and “Jinnah Murdabad” especially in front of Muslim’s residences. In the end of the conversation he accepted that Mob Lynching and any kind of suppression or exploitation over a particular community and glamourizing or garlanding and organizing rallies to support accused by the BJP leaders or people of any other group connected with RSS is wrong and not justiciable as we live in a society which is known for the unity in diversity. After the winning of the election of 2014 by the BJP with the full majority gave a spark to the Hindutva and more people are getting fascinated with the RSS and its ideology.