RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat thinks the saffron family should look ahead

RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat wants the saffron family to become forward looking and solution oriented rather than hyping the sensitive issues of temple and mosque for political purposes, some Sangh functionaries told ET.

The functionaries feel that Bhagwat's latest remarks expressing concern over the resurgence of temple-mosque disputes and advising people against raking up such issues are meant to emphasise the Sangh's belief in coexistence of various communities within India as their DNA is the same.

"After Ram temple judgement Mohan ji had made it clear RSS has no plans to lead any new movements similar to the Ram temple in future. And he has been maintaining that," a senior Sangh functionary told ET.


"Extremism, aggressiveness, forcefulness and insulting other gods are not in the nature of our country and this is unacceptable," Bhagwat had said on Thursday, at a time when various cases are being filed seeking demolition of mosques on claims that they were built on temple sites.

The Sangh functionary pointed out that the RSS chief had earlier also told people not to look for Shiv Linga in mosques. The message is clear: don't hype the religious disputes; rather, try to resolve them in a peaceful and legal manner, the person said.

Another senior Sangh functionary who has worked with Bhagwat for a long time said, "Of late, it has been seen that people feel that presenting yourself as pro-RSS and Hindu fundamentalist is a shortcut to enter politics, which is a cause of concern among senior Sangh functionaries."

Unlike in the past, now the Sangh is being heard and is at the centre stage of the country's mind space, the person said. So, it wants its entire ideological family to act and conduct like a forward-looking socio-cultural organisation.