Mohan Bhagwat says RSS workers free to take part in agitations for Kashi, Mathura
Mohan Bhagwat says RSS workers free to take part in agitations for Kashi, Mathura
M.U.H
29/08/202526
On the third and final day of his three-day lecture series in Delhi, RSS Sarasanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat indicated that the Sangh supported the demand that the sites of the Gyanvapi Mosque in Varanasi and the Eidgah at Mathura be given to Hindus. Sangh swayamsevaks were free to associate themselves with any movement for these sites, and the other side could respond by giving up their claims as it was a “matter of just three”, said Bhagwat.
Thursday marked the end of the Sangh’s lecture series ‘100 Years of the Sangh’s Journey – New Horizons’, and Bhagwat took up 218 questions forwarded by those who had attended the event.
On a question regarding the Kashi-Mathura issue, Bhagwat said, “Andolan mein Sangh jaata nahin. Ek maatra andolan Ram Mandir tha jisase hum jude aur aakhir tak le gaye. Ab baaki andolan mein Sangh jayega nahin. Lekin Hindu maanas mein Kashi, Mathura, Ayodhya, teenon ka mahatwa hai. Do janmabhoomi hain, ek niwas sthan hai. Hindu samaj iska aagrah karega. Sangh iss andolan mein nahin jayega, lekin Sangh ke swayamsevak ja sakte hain. Lekin in teen ko chhod kar, maine kaha hai, har jagah mandir mat dhoondo, har jagah Shivling mat dhoondho (The Sangh does not associate itself with movements. It got associated with only the Ram temple movement, and took it to the end. Now the Sangh will not associate itself with other movements. But in the Hindu heart, Kashi, Mathura and Ayodhya, all hold importance. Two are birthplaces, and one is a residence (of God). The Hindu society will ask for them. The Sangh will not associate with this movement, but Sangh swayamsevaks can. But barring these three, as I have said, don’t look for a temple or a Shivling in every place).”
Bhagwat suggested that Muslims should willingly hand over the sites. “Main agar ye keh sakta hoon, Hindu sangathan ka pramukh, jisko swayamsewak bhi prashna poochte rehte hain, toh thoda itna bhi hona chaahiye ki, chalo bhai, teen ki baat hai, le lo. Bhaichare ke liye ek bohot bada kadam hoga (If I am saying this, being the chief of a Hindu organisation, who can be questioned by his own swayamsevaks, then there can be a little effort from that side also that, okay, it is a matter of just three, take it. This will be a big step towards brotherhood).”
In 2019, following the Ayodhya judgement awarding the site of the demolished Babri Masjid to the Hindu side for a temple, Bhagwat had indicated that the RSS would not be taking up any agitations as regards the Kashi and Mathura disputes. “The Sangh does not get involved in any andolan (movement). We work towards character building. In the past, circumstances were different, resulting in the Sangh getting involved in the movement (for Ayodhya). We will once again work for character building,” the RSS chief had said.
This was interpreted as the Sangh distancing itself from – or, at least, going slow on – the Kashi and Mathura demands.
What Bhagwat said Thursday was more in line with the Sangh’s push for Kashi and Mathura along with Ayodhya as contested sites where Hindu temples should come up. In fact, in RSS resolutions, Kashi and Mathura featured much before Ayodhya.
Responding to questions regarding the Sangh’s ties with the BJP, Bhagwat said it was wrong to presume that the RSS takes decisions for its affiliated organisations including the ruling party. In an apparent reference to the delay in the election of the next BJP president to replace J P Nadda, he added: “Hum tay karte toh itna samay lagta kya (Were it up to us to decide, would it have taken so long)?… We don’t do it. Take your time.”
Bhagwat went on: “It is absolutely wrong that the Sangh decides everything (for the BJP). I run shakhas, that is my expertise. They are running the State, that is their expertise. We can advise, but the decision in that field is theirs.”
However, the RSS chief admitted that there is struggle within the larger Sangh Parivar, including the BJP, giving the example of its labour wing and small scale industries wing being often at loggerheads. At times it is difficult to get all the organisations, the party and the government on the same page, Bhagwat said, with no side willing to compromise. “So, we say, you all follow your paths. If we get the desired results, it will be good,” he said.
In reference to a recent statement by him, which went viral for quoting an anecdote about retiring at 75, Bhagwat said: “I never said I will retire or someone else should retire at 75 years. In the RSS we are given a job, whether we want it or not. At 80, if I am asked to run a shakha, I will have to do it.”
Bhagwat turns 75 next month.
In response to other questions, the RSS chief spoke about Bharat being “Akhand (One)”, adding that those to blame for partitioning of the country had not done well spiritually and economically.
Regarding the Bills brought by the Modi government towards the fag end of the Monsoon Session to remove from office any minister, including chief ministers and the Prime Minister, detained for 30 days or more for a serious offence, Bhagwat said Parliament was the appropriate body looking into the question, and that leadership should in principle be transparent.
Regarding misgivings about the Sangh in the minds of Opposition leaders, he said several of them had seen its reality and changed their minds, mentioning Jaya Prakash Narayan, Maulana Azad and Pranab Mukherjee.
To a question on why the Sangh does not coordinate with other parties, Bhagwat said: “For good work, whenever anyone seeks help, we provide. But there are those who run away from us when we want to help. So, they don’t get our help. We don’t consider anyone a pariah. Hamari taraf se koi rukawat nahin hai. Rukawat unki taraf se hai (There is no barrier from our side. The barrier is from their side).”
