Bangladesh Hindus in danger, need our help: Mohan Bhagwat
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh’s centenary celebrations began on Saturday with supremo Mohan Bhagwat giving a clarion call for Hindus to organise themselves and unite in the face of “external and internal threats seeking to destroy India’s cultural unity”.
Speaking of Bangladeshi Hindus having to endure unprovoked attacks after a coup there, Bhagwat said weakness was a crime and an invitation to atrocities. He, however, lauded minorities in Bangladesh for the “first-ever” organised pushback against radicals.
“Even the Gods do not care for the weak.... What happened in Bangladesh should be a lesson for Hindu society. Weakness is a crime. If we are weak and unorganised, we are inviting atrocities. We must stay strong and organised wherever we are, not violent. This we will have to do,” the RSS chief said, pledging to work towards the goal of organising society going forward. The
continued on page 6
RSS chief, while noting that Bangladeshi Hindus continued to be in danger and needed India’s help, flagged the neighbouring country’s growing proximity to Pakistan amid narratives that India was a danger to the country it helped create. “Which nations can benefit from such narrations? We need not name any... Similar enterprises are active in India also,” Bhagwat said.
He lauded India’s rising global stature and said social harmony was the first prerequisite for an organised and healthy society that could ward off inimical forces exploiting fault-lines to foment separatism. To this end, the RSS chief made it clear that “Bharat has several faiths, but only one religion and that religion is ‘dharma’ (righteousness)”.
Bhagwat’s sternest warning in a nearly hour-long speech was against “deep state, wokeism and cultural Marxism”, which, he said, were “attacking India’s cultural traditions that bound us”. “These forces start by capturing intellectual spaces, exploiting fault-lines to create discord. They call this alternate politics and find friends at home.... Competing political parties get involved. In border areas, these tendencies are evident and countries where these tendencies dominate can easily be governed from outside. This is not a conspiracy theory. This is the truth,” Bhagwat said, calling for a national narrative against anti-India forces.
In a first, the RSS chief also slammed “anarchist tendencies” and justified self-defence in the face of stone-pelting during Hindu festivals. “Hooliganism has no sanction in society. Till the police arrive to control the situation, we have the right to protect ourselves, our families,” he said. He also called for a “dire need” for a law to regulate “disgusting OTT content that was leading to distortions”.
The broadest message of Bhagwat in a customary Vijayadashmi address pertained to growing challenges India was facing as it gained prominence in the comity of nations.
Describing the successful conduct of the J&K elections as a sign of mature Indian society and something that would earn the country global applause, Bhagwat said, “As if to test our resolve, sinister conspiracies are being hatched to disturb and destabilise the country. They seem to be gaining momentum from all directions. Certain powers whose vested interests are affected by Bharat’s rise want to contain us.”
The RSS chief said only a healthy, organised society could ward off threats and urged camaraderie across families. “We should celebrate all the festivals, open up temples, cremation grounds and water sources for everyone,” Bhagwat said in a strong message of social and caste integration. He made a specific mention of vulnerabilities in Punjab, Ladakh, Manipur and other border areas, noting that constitutional measures of protests had been abandoned in some places and tendencies to instigate anarchy were growing.
RSS@100: Takeaways from Bhagwat speech
- Deep state, wokeism out to attack India’s cultural unity
- Weakness an invitation to atrocities; Bharat has different faiths, one religion — Dharma
- OTT content must be regulated
