RSS takes cue from PM Narendra Modi, talks ‘inclusive’ ghar wapsi

BENGALURU: Faced with question marks on conversion and re-conversion, the Sangh seems to be taking a cue from PM Narendra Modi’s stress on “inclusive” and “developmental” ideology. All speakers at the Virat Hindu Samajothsav, speaking at the 50th year celebrations of the VHP —held in Bengaluru’s BJP pocket of Basavanagudi —on Sunday focused on wooing the dalits and spoke of untouchability as the biggest hurdle to “Hindu shakti” to oppose conversion.

In the absence of Vishwa Hindu Parishad’s international president Praveen Togadia, who was banned from entering Bengaluru by the city cops, RSS general secretary Suresh (Bhayyaji) Joshi was the centre of attention. Calling India ‘Hindustan’, along with the usual ‘Bharat’, Joshi said the country was seeing change and everyone had to be actively part of it.

“There is no Bharat without Hindu and no Hindu without Bharat. But there are several dosh (blots) in our society. Even our saints have said the Hindu Samaj will become powerful only if such blots are removed. Caste divisions like upper and lower are weaknesses, they should be removed. We should all take a vow that there should be no untouchability. Can we cut the throats of our own people? We need to destroy such bad practices,” he told the cheering crowd.

Pejawar mutt pontiff Vishveshateertha, who initiated Union minister Uma Bharti into sanyas, said dalits should get the same status as savarna (upper caste) Hindus in the society. “This will solve all problems of conversion and reconversion. The VHP has to build astrong Hindu samaja and change its anti-dalit image,” he suggested. —OPB