Kerala Governor Arif Mohammad Khan and Lt Gen Syed Ata Hasnain (Retd) among participants
Team Clarion
NEW DELHI – Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat on Monday held a meeting with ‘Muslim intellectuals’ in a five-star hotel of Mumbai and gave a number of advices to the entire Muslim community. Repeating his organisation’s usual stand vis a vis the community, he said Muslims have nothing to fear in India, and they must work unitedly with the majority community for the common goal of the country’s progress.
This was his second interaction with Muslims in two months. In July, he had spoken to the community from the platform of Muslim Rashtriya Manch, an affiliate of the RSS. This time the platform was provided to him by a Pune-based group called Global Strategic Policy Foundation (GSPF).
Among those who shared dais with him included Kerala Governor Arif Mohammad Khan and Lt Gen Syed Ata Hasnain (Retd), who is currently Vice-Chancellor of Kashmir Central University. Zafar Lari, coordinator of GSPF, was another Muslim face. According to The Indian Express, the audience consisted mainly of Kashmiri students, retired defence officials and RSS members.
The meeting gains importance in the wake of poet and lyricist Javed Akhtar’s recent observation drawing a parallel between RSS and Taliban which have taken over in Afghanistan. Actor Naseeruddin Shah’s statement on the reaction of a section of Muslim community has also added new meaning to the Bhagwat event.
The RSS chief referred to the development in Afghanistan, although without naming that country. Bhagwat said the saner voices among the Muslims should speak out against the ‘insanity’ committed by some sections of the community, given the emerging geo-political developments in India’s neighbourhood.
“They must firmly oppose the hardliners in the community. This could be a long-drawn task that will have to be done with great care and efforts. It’s like a tough, long test which we will have to pass. The quicker we begin, the lesser the damage to the society,” Bhagwat pointed out.
The Bhagwat event was dubbed as ‘Nation First, Nation Supreme’. He asserted that Hindus don’t harbour animosity towards anyone, and the two communities should join hands for the country’s development.
“Hindus and Muslims in India have common ancestry… It is a well-known historical fact that Islam came to India along with the invaders, and this should not be concealed,” said Bhagwat, a point he has been saying all along. He also repeated his old stand that “every Indian is a Hindu”.
He also touched upon right-wing’s usual topics of ‘appeasement’ and ‘vote-bank politics’. “In tune with our great culture, which accepts all diverse opinions, we commit that there won’t be disrespect for other faiths, but, for that we will have to ensure and think of dominance of India and not that of a particular faith as has been happening through appeasement or vote-bank politics for many years,” he said.
In July, when Bhagwat addressed Muslims, it sparked a debate in the country. His fresh observations are likely to draw more reactions.
