Invader mindset threat to country, says RSS general secretary Hosabale

Underlining that his take wasn’t against any religion, Hosabale said that Aurangzeb’s brother Dara Shikoh followed Indian traditions, which Aurangzeb did not. “Those who talk about composite culture never tried to celebrate Dara Shikoh. The question is whether we want to make an icon out of someone who was against Bharat’s ethos or we want those who followed Indian traditions to be made icons. Aurangzeb does not fall in the latter category while his brother did.”

Asserting that medieval resistance to the Mughals was also a “freedom struggle”, Hosabale said: “Just like the freedom struggle against British rule, those who waged a fight for freedom before that were also freedom fighters. Rana Pratap was also waging a freedom struggle.”

“If someone is trying to draw inspiration from an invader who wanted to finish off this national ethos; who wanted to destroy the cultural heritage of this land… he is an invader…,” the RSS leader underlined. “And every society in the world has recorded these things about their society. And in India, in Bharat, if someone wants to present a distorted version or narrative, that has to be fought.” He added that while India had got political independence in 1947, mental colonisation continued after that. There was a continuous freedom struggle going on against this mindset, he said.

“To call oneself Hindu in Bharat is not a matter of shame but of pride. Hinduism is not just a religion but a nationalist expression and cultural, spiritual and civilisational expression,” Hosabale said. He underlined that organising Hindu society was an uphill task because of diversity, but it has now become possible. Hosabale said that all those who have taken birth in India are Hindus, “because their forefathers were Hindus”.

“Now Hindu society feels that there was a time when in the name of secularism, which was a pseudo-secularism, and because of the distorted historical versions, our people felt diffident. Now a confident and vibrant Hindu society is emerging, but at the same time, the Sangh wants to say… that all the things have not been achieved,” he said. He explained his statement by saying that many “corrections” in society were still required. “For example, issues like untouchability or the approach of a large section of society towards womenfolk – all these things are not up to the mark…,” Hosabale said. He said ‘shakhas’ remove caste mentality from the minds of the people, adding that while there were different castes and communities in the country, there should be no strife because of this.

Amid controversy over the Congress-led Karnataka government’s decision to provide 4 per cent reservation for Muslims in government contracts, Hosabale said that the Constitution does not allow religion-based quota. “Religion-based reservation is not accepted in the Constitution authored by Babasaheb Ambedkar. Anybody doing this is going against the architect of our Constitution,” he said. He added that previous attempts by united Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra to introduce religion-based reservations for Muslims were set aside by the High Courts and Supreme Court. Backward communities within each religion already get reservation, he said.

On the Waqf Bill, he said that the government was proceeding with a Bill, which was a step in the right direction. He added that what the government and Parliament does next on the matter was yet to be seen.