Hosabale dismisses ‘KKK’ label for RSS
Washington (PTI): The RSS is not an Indian version of the Ku Klux Klan, the American white supremacist group, RSS General Secretary Dattatreya Hosabale said here, highlighting the organisation's work across different spheres of society.
Speaking at an interactive session at the New India Conference organised by the Hudson Institute, Hosabale said there are misconceptions about the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) similar to misunderstandings about India in the US.
"The narrative that has been built for decades, knowingly or unknowingly as part of an agenda or otherwise, is that RSS is a Hindu supremacist organisation or that it is anti-Christian, anti-minority, anti-development and anti-modernisation," he said during a discussion with author Walter Russell Mead on Thursday.
"So what is pro is not highlighted; instead, the anti has always been propagated... some Indian version of the Ku Klux Klan, which we are not," Hosabale said.
He said Hindu philosophy and culture view the whole world as one family and do not endorse supremacy.
"We see oneness in everything, living and non-living. When that is the basic philosophy of Hindus, the question of a supremacist nature does not arise. Also, in history, Hindus have never invaded any country," the RSS chief said.
Hosabale described RSS as a volunteer-driven movement rooted in India’s cultural and civilisational ethos.
"RSS is a people's voluntary movement inspired by cultural ethos and civilisation values of the ancient society of India, which is generally known as Hindu culture.
"To create volunteers with character, self-confidence, a sense of service to the community and for organising the society, the RSS organises daily assemblies and weekly assemblies for one hour. Through these one-hour gatherings, called shakhas, we inculcate values of life," he said.
Hosabale said that the RSS views Hindu identity as a civilisational, not religious, identity.
"Tensions with minority groups and neighbouring countries stem from political interests and wrong interpretations of history," he said, adding that ongoing dialogue with minority communities was key to resolving misunderstandings.
Hosabale said tensions between neighbouring countries were because of various factors, including the political leadership there.
"The problem is only with one neighbouring country, which was born out of the Indian womb. It has become a neighbouring country, but many people are behind that country to create problems," he said.
The Indian American diaspora also held a public reception in honour of Hosabale on Thursday evening in a Virginia suburb, which saw a good turnout from people in the greater Washington region.
Hosabale said the RSS holds about 83,000 shakhas (daily meetings) to instil a sense of service and inculcate life values aimed at promoting social harmony.
"People from every walk of life and all age groups have become volunteers of our organisation. RSS undertakes relief work during natural calamities and is also active in areas such as education, health, self-defence, rural development and environmental issues," he said.
The RSS leader said cultural values and modernisation are not necessarily contradictory and can coexist, though some tensions may arise.
"Both modernisation and cultural values require adaptation according to the times. While modernisation brings industrialisation, technology and individualistic trends, it can function alongside culture and cultural values," Hosabale said.
He added that the coexistence of culture and modernity has been visible in several societies in recent decades.
"Whether it is Hindu society, Indian society, Japan or China, all have modernised while keeping their cultural and civilisational values intact and drawing inspiration from them. That is why I don't think cultural values and modernisation pull in opposite directions," Hosabale said.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
'Anga, Banga, Kalinga' will have BJP govts next month: Shah
Kolkata (PTI): Asserting that people voted with enthusiasm for a change in the first phase of the West Bengal assembly elections, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday said 'Anga, Banga and Kalinga', the ancient kingdoms that ruled present-day eastern India, will have BJP governments next month.
Addressing a press conference in Kolkata, Shah said the BJP will bag more than 110 of the 152 seats that went to the polls in the first phase on Thursday.
"People of Bengal broke all records in the first phase and voted with enthusiasm for a change," he said, referring to the over 92 per cent turnout.
"I thank the Election Commission and security forces for ensuring no deaths during the first phase polls," he said, noting that 1,278 people were injured in the 2016 assembly elections, and 1,681 in 2021.
Claiming that the TMC's exit is imminent, Shah said the BJP will form a government in the state with an absolute majority.
"I see a tsunami this time, I feel the number of seats and margin of win will be much higher," he said.
"We will have governments in 'Anga, Banga and Kalinga' after May 5," he said, referring to the ancient kingdoms that once ruled the region.
Having come to power in Odisha in 2024, the BJP is now seeking a third consecutive term in Assam and aiming to unseat the 15-year-old TMC government in West Bengal. The party's first chief minister in Bihar, Samrat Choudhary, won a floor test in the assembly earlier in the day.
Assam voted for its 126-member assembly on April 9, while Bengal will vote for 142 seats in the second phase on April 29. The counting of votes will be held in both the states, along with Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry, on May 4.
"Since the beginning, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has had a vision of equal development for both the eastern and western parts of the country, and by forming a government in West Bengal, that vision will be realised," Shah said.
He said anti-incumbency was at its peak in the state in 2021 as well, but the polling was not as fear-free as it should have been.
"A large number of booths were looted, and many people were not allowed to reach the polling stations in that election. But this time, the voters' list has been cleansed, security has been tightened, and the EC has made free and fair election its top priority," he said.
Shah claimed the BJP will get more votes in the state's Presidency Range, comprising Kolkata, Howrah, North and South 24 Parganas and Nadia districts in the southern part of the state, than it did in north Bengal, which has been the party's stronghold over the last few years.
Asked about Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's assertion that the TMC, along with other opposition parties, will "take over Delhi" after winning the West Bengal polls, he said with a wry smile, "Very good! There is nothing left here. Why will she come to Delhi? What should I say?"
He said a Bengal-born and Bengali-speaking person will be the first BJP chief minister of West Bengal, alleging that CM Banerjee was peddling the rumour that "outsiders" would be brought to rule here if the party wins.
Stating that thousands of hectares of land have been illegally encroached in the state over the years, Shah said, "Like Assam, we will undertake a massive drive to free such lands for the development of Bengal."
However, he said the BJP's top priority after forming the government in Bengal will be to ensure the safety and security of women.
"As a gesture in this regard, we have given nominations to women who have been affected by atrocities," he said.
The BJP has given a ticket to Ratna Debnath, the mother of the doctor who was raped and murdered at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, in Panihati and Rekha Patra, the face of the Sandeshkhali agitation, in Hingalganj.
"The woman chief minister of a state who says women should not venture out after 7 pm has no right to rule," Shah said, maintaining that even a teenage girl will be able to safely go out at 1 am if the BJP comes to power.
He said he firmly believes that women of Bengal will give an appropriate reply to the TMC for "opposing" the women's quota legislation in Parliament.
"I want to assure the constituencies where elections are yet to be held that we will abolish syndicate raj and 'bhaipo (nephew) tax'," he said, alluding to TMC MP Abhishek Bhanerjee, the nephew of the CM.
Shah said another priority of the new BJP government will be to allot land to the BSF at the India-Bangladesh border for fencing to prevent infiltration.
Accusing the Mamata Banerjee government of institutionalising corruption, Shah alleged that scams worth over Rs 10,000 crore took place during the TMC rule in the state since 2011.
He said that after the BJP comes to power in the state, a White Paper will be released on the alleged corruption that happened during the TMC rule, and an investigation will be done under the supervision of a retired Supreme Court judge.
Urging people to vote for 'parivartan' in the second phase as well, he said it does not mean just changing an MLA, a political party in power or a chief minister, but making the state free of infiltration, corruption and appeasement, and ensuring fast development, obliterating red tape and creating employment opportunities.
"A change in the state will also translate to making short-term and long-term policy for infrastructure development, and to make available resources for those to fructify," he said.
The TMC had come to power in 2011, calling for 'parivartan' of the CPI(M)-led Left Front government that ruled the state for an uninterrupted 34 years from 1977.
