Idea that Islam will not remain is not Hindu thinking: RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat
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New Delhi (PTI): RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on Thursday said Islam will always have a place in India and made a strong pitch for Hindus and Muslims to have mutual trust in each other.
Addressing a question and answer session to mark the centenary celebrations of the RSS, Bhagwat said the Sangh does not believe in attacking anyone, including on religious grounds, and has always extended a helping hand to everyone during calamities such as the Kerala floods and the Gujarat earthquake.
The RSS chief said he believed religion was a matter of individual choice and there should be no allurement or force in this matter.
"Hindus and Muslims are the same... so there's no question of unity between them; only their form of worship has changed. We are already one. What is there to unite? What has changed? Merely the method of worship has changed; does it really make a difference?" Bhagwat asked.
He said Islam has been in India since time immemorial and has stayed on till date, and will remain in the future as well.
"The idea that Islam will not remain is not Hindu thinking. Both Hindus and Muslims need to have mutual trust in each other," Bhagwat said.
On the issue of changing the names of roads and towns bearing Muslim names, the RSS chief said his only insistence was that roads or towns should not be named after invaders.
"Invaders' names should not be there. I did not say there should be no Muslim names... APJ Abdul Kalam, Abdul Hameed’s names should be there," he said.
The RSS chief cited conversion and illegal migration as key reasons behind demographic imbalance in the country, and said the government is trying to curb infiltration and urged society also needs to play its part.
Bhagwat said jobs should not go to illegal migrants but to "our own people, including Muslims".
"Conversion and illegal migration are key reasons for demographic imbalance. We should not give jobs to illegal migrants; we should give jobs to our own people, including Muslims," he said.
The RSS chief was asked about the Sangh’s view on illegal immigration into the country.
Bhagwat said that he agreed with the contention that people of Bangladesh and India have the same DNA, but every country has its rules and regulations, and people willing to migrate should follow these rules.
"The entire world is ‘Kutumb’ (family), but every place has its own standards. Freedom is discipline also. Not allowing illegal migrants in the country doesn't contradict the concept of 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam'," Bhagwat said.
Bhagwat also dismissed allegations that the RSS had indulged in acts of violence.
"No organisation that engages in violence can reach 75 lakh places in Bharat or gain such support. If we were like that, would we be holding such programmes? We would be hiding underground somewhere," the RSS chief said.
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Flagrant injustice to underprivileged: Mehbooba on govt action against Shopian school
Srinagar (PTI): PDP president Mehbooba Mufti on Monday said declaring Dar Ul Uloom Jamia Siraj Ul Uloom in Jammu and Kashmir's Shopian an unlawful entity under the UAPA was a "flagrant injustice" to the underprivileged sections of society.
She also alleged that banning such "altruistic institutions" without any solid evidence of anti-national activity "shows a deep seated prejudice and ill intention".
The institution allegedly run by individuals affiliated with a banned organisation has been declared an "unlawful entity" under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
In a post on X, Mehbooba said, "Every single day the j&k government acts as a mute bystander & a timid enabler of vicious assaults on J&Ks identity & dignity. Declaring Dar Ul Uloom Jamia Siraj Ul Uloom as an unlawful entity under UAPA is a flagrant injustice to the poor underprivileged sections of society".
The former chief minister said the institution served as a "beacon of quality education" for students unable to afford expensive schooling.
"It has produced reputed doctors and professionals who served this nation with dedication. Banning these altruistic institutions without any solid evidence of anti national activity shows a deep seated prejudice & ill intention," she added.
Divisional Commissioner Kashmir Anshul Garg issued a two-page order based on the dossier presented by Senior Superintendent of Police Shopian pointing towards the alleged illegal activities at Darul Uloom Jamia Sirajul Uloom at Imam Sahib in Shopian district in south Kashmir.
According to the order issued by Garg on April 24, there were "credible inputs and evidence on record, to indicate sustained and covert linkages of the institution with Jamaat-e-Islami, which the Government of India banned in 2019.
