RSS-BJP’s Devious Attempts Will Ultimately Fail

EDITORIAL

Today is October 3, 2019. The 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi was observed yesterday. In a brilliant article published five days ago in The Telegraph (Kolkata) on September 28, 2019, historian Ramachandra Guha referred to the relationship between the Mahatma and the RSS whose one-time pracharak is now ruling the country as the Prime Minister. In this article, Guha conveyed the venom of the RSS towards the Muslims in general and wrote how Gandhi was also assailed for “praising Islam and crying Allah-o-Akbar” while “enjoining Hindus to do the same”. Guha pointed out that the essence of the RSS’ anger towards the Father of the Nation was the latter’s capacity to bring about peace between the two warring communities through the moral force of non-violence, the objective being to reassure the Muslims not to flee in panic to Pakistan.

The article mentions about Gandhi’s meeting in Delhi with the RSS head, Guru Golwalkar, who assured the former that his organisation was not for the killing of Muslims but only to “protect Hindustan to the best of its ability”. That was only for public record. Guha unmasks the double-face of the RSS volunteers who, it was clear from police records, were intending to exterminate the Muslims so as to ensure their departure from this country. At his prayer meeting in November (1947) Gandhi made it abundantly clear that side by side with the Muslim League’s bid to polarise the country, the Hindu Mahasabha activists, aided by RSS members, were desirous of driving away all Muslims from the Indian Union. This was vindicated by Golwalkar’s address in December in Delhi where the RSS chief had stated that “no power on Earth could keep them (the Muslims) in Hindustan”.

Guha was certain that the RSS’ hypocrisy would be eloquently brought out on October 2, 2019 since Gandhi was, after all, a person who had lived (and died) in the belief that India was not a Hindu country but belonged to people of all faiths.

Today also happens to be the 60th day of the lockdown in Kashmir. Yesterday the General Secretary of the India Chapter of the Pakistan-India Peoples’ Forum for Peace and Democracy (PIPFPD) wrote in whatsapp:

“While PM Modi was busy writing his eloquent article for the New York Times, published in time on the 2nd of October, the 150th Birth Anniversary of the Mahatma, the peoples of Jammu and Kashmir had lived with more than 59 days of this state-sponsored annihilation, reorganisation, terror and torture! And how nicely worded was Modi’s tribute to the Mahatma that quoted Gandhiji’s favourite hymn “Vaishnava Jana To, which says that a true human is one who feels the pain of others, removes misery and is never arrogant...” The PM asserted that for Gandhi, independence was not absence of external rule, but a deep link between political independence and personal empowerment...

“Wow, just wow!!!

“Welcome to New India, the land ruled by hypocrites and liars of the first order, who have the audacity to quote the Mahatma, after worshipping his murderers!

“India stands as a land tormented by the whims of a majoritarian regime that has discredited this country and people in front of the UN and the world!”

Whatever the BJP/RSS leaders, now holding the reins of power in New Delhi, may write or say, their devious attempts to divide the people and inflict deep pain in the heart and soul of the Mahatma will, we are sure, ultimately fail.

October 3 S.C.