“Hindu Rashtra believes in plurality of faith and justice for all”

In the RSS, what are the percentage of minorities? If it is the Rashtra Sevak Sangh, all the janta of our Rashtra should participate equally.S. Khan
The RSS is not a party. It is an organisation of the entire Hindu society, and according to the RSS, Hindu includes all faiths and beliefs. The RSS does not maintain a caste-wise or a belief-wise record of its Swayamsewaks, and all are recognised as Hindus. Our concept of a rashtra is cultural and, therefore, it includes all castes and classes.

I am one of the silent majority who favour the RSS ideology. But it pains me to see organisations like the VHP spewing venom in the society. Aren’t people like Praveen Togadia a curse on the society or RSS at large?Himanshu
I think very often Shri Togadia’s statements are misquoted and twisted. The media many a time confuses between Hindu Rashtra and Hindu Rajya. They even misquoted the Deputy Prime Minister’s speech in the Lok Sabha and put into his mouth words which he did not utter.

As the RSS is an apolitical organisation, why doesn’t it dedicate itself to freeing India from the curse of illiteracy and disease? No amount of religious feeling can take India on the road to better standard of living and prosperity.Pravin Sinha
The RSS is a socio-cultural organisation, and, therefore, its Swayamsewaks are working in different spheres of social life under the banners of different institutions. Vidya Bharati is running more than 20,000 schools in the country, which impart education to more than 25 lakh students.

Majority of these schools are located in rural areas. Then the Swayamsewaks who are working in tribal belts are running thousands of one-teacher schools (Ekala Vidyalayas), which give informal education. The Sewa Bharati of the RSS and the Service Projects of the VHP, ABVP and VKA (Vanwasi Kalyan Ashram) are also involved in social service works, which include health care, self-help groups of women, removal of superstitions, eradication of untouchability and emancipation from evils of liquor etc.

We are of the opinion that even religiosity of the people is helpful in removing social evils and this path in its totality is bound to take the country ‘‘on the road to a better standard of living’’.

In order to get the country to accept Hindutva as rashtrawad, you will certainly expect the Islamic culture in India to bend and come to terms with the other. But the Islamic culture is very particular about what to accept and what not to. So there is bound to be a tussle and struggle to keep the culture intact and pure. What according to you would be the straight and real solution for this? One more division?Muazzam Khan
The apprehension expressed in the question is unfounded. We regard the culture of the country as one, because, according to us, culture means a certain value system — a system that is inclusive, appreciative of plurality of faiths and beliefs, democratic values and equal justice for all.

This is what is connoted by the concept of Hindu Rashtra. We expect the religions of Islam and Christianity to accept the validity of all faiths and beliefs. This commitment to plurality will alone lead to integration of the people. The RSS, since its very inception, has been insisting on this inclusivist character.

As mentioned above, culture is a value system, and therefore, there is ample scope for different modes of worship, rites and rituals, and there is no possibility of any struggle amongst them. All conflicts arise from exclusivist and intolerant attitudes, and from dividing the people into eternally conflicting two groups viz the Christians and heathens and Momins and Kafirs. These give rise to intolerance, hatred and Jehadi mentalities of various hues.

I would like to know what views the RSS has on modernisation? I understand that they do not conform to Western views of progress.Sanjay
The RSS makes a distinction between modernisation and westernisation. The crux of modernisation is a scientific point of view. It has nothing to do with scantiness of women’s dress or vulgar demonstrations of the sentiment of love.

Why is that the RSS is not the first one to strongly protest events like the Jhajjar lynching in Haryana? As no Hindu organisation is quick to assuage the feelings of the Dalit community after such unfortunate events, Marxist-controlled media and the Catholic Church take advantage.A. Pandit
I, as the RSS Spokesman, had condemned the Jhajjhar killings in Haryana, and demanded stringent action against the offenders. Of course, there are certain elements in our society which are interested in creating dissensions in the Hindu society, and they exploit such unfortunate incidents.