GHAZIABAD, UP:
Mohan Bhagwat, the Chief of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), made a few statements to establish a pro-Muslim approach, which evoked mixed reactions from Muslims academics and activists, as well as society at large, as is often the result of pressing on hot and contentious issues involving religions identity and sentiments.
"Sangh has long maintained that the DNA of the Indian people is the same and that Hindus and Muslims are the same entity", said the RSS Supremo during a book launch in Ghaziabad carried out by the Muslim Rashtriya Manch, the Muslim wing of the RSS.
"When people speak about the need for Hindu-Muslim unity, we say we are already one, we are not separate," he added.
Khwaja Ifteqar Ahmed's book "The Meeting of Minds" was launched in Ghaziabad when the RSS chief made these striking comments.
While some thought it was remarkable, others thought it was just an old book with a new cover. Most of them, however, regarded it as an attempt to alter the RSS's image in response to shifting world politics.
Speaking of lynchings, in which the majority of victims are Muslims, he stated that those who engage in lynchings and argue that Muslims should not dwell in India are not Hindus.
"Law should take its course. They should investigate without partiality and punish the guilty. But anyone who is involved in lynching is not a Hindu," he said.
The fact that he recognised that lynching is an Indian reality and that Muslims are victims of it is novel, said Mirza Asmer Baig, a political science professor at Aligarh Muslim University.
"Some time back, he said lynching was a foreign concept, alien to India," he added.
Mohan Bhagwat's attempt to label all Indians as "Hindus" in his quest to gather all Indians under one umbrella has frequently been rebuked and disputed by members of non-Hindu communities, as well as people, organisations, and political outfits that reject the RSS philosophy of "Hindutva."
"If you don't want to call yourself Hindu, you can say Indian instead but we should all work for the country," he said.
The RSS has often been criticized by its critics for advocating majoritarianism, to which he answered by defining the Sangh's role as one of bringing people of different faiths together. He said that such responsibilities could not be entrusted to political parties.
Mohan Bhagat appeared to be targeting the moderate/liberal Hindu voter who was turning away from the BJP due to its continuous pursuit of hate politics, according to few observers. Most of them, however, regarded it as an attempt to alter the RSS's image in response to shifting world politics.
The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is the political arm of the RSS, one of the world's largest 'non-political organisations.' The ring-wing nationalist organisation has currently about 5-6 million members and about 56,859 Sakhas/branches (as of 2016) spread all across the nation.
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