Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) also known as the Rashtriya Seva Sangh was
founded in the year 1925 by a physician Dr. Keshav Baliram Hedgewar during the
British Rule. RSS is an NGO which has been in the midst of various
controversies, most of them where it is dragged to the centre of the communal
tensions between Hindus and Muslims. RSS has become a soft target for all the
‘secular’ political parties in India. Is it not worth to know a few facts and
then form our opinion on what RSS is, what does it stand for and whether the
attacks on it are just or otherwise?
The core ideology of the RSS is based on Hindutva, a kind of
Hindu Nationalism and supports the philosophy ‘Ekam Sat Viprah Bahudha
Vadanti Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ which would mean ‘Truth is one, sages call it by many
names. The whole universe is one family’.
The RSS actively took part in every national movement called
upon by the Indian National Congress at the time of freedom struggle. The RSS
also played a crucial role at the time of partition by providing its support in
many relief activities and helping Hindus in migrating. In
October 1947, soon after Indian independence, Pakistani troops had reached the
borders of Kashmir. All the efforts of political leaders had failed to stop
them. Sardar Patel sent a message to the then chief of the RSS MS Golwalker,
also fondly popular as ‘Guruji’, requesting him to convince the Maharaja of
Kashmir to accede to India. Guruji rushed to Srinagar from Nagpur to resolve
the delicate matter. A meeting between Guruji and Maharaja Hari Singh was
arranged. This historic meeting on the issue of national honour ended
successfully, after which the Maharaja sent the accession proposal to Delhi,
and Guruji asked the RSS workers in Jammu and Kashmir to shed their blood to
the last drop for the integrity of the nation. Thanks to the important
contribution of these unsung heroes, along with that of our army, we were able
to save Kashmir from the clutches of Pakistan and protect our national honour. Had
it not been for them, Kashmir would not have been a part of India. Also, not
many people know that the RSS also actively participated in the liberation of Dadra
and Nagar Haveli from Portuguese occupation. These facts sketch the character
of the RSS. It becomes amply clear that the RSS has been of a great assistance
in building the nation.
It also needs to be seen that during partition, when Nehru
was finding it extremely difficult to stop the bloodshed, it was the RSS that
helped organise over 3,000 relief camps for the refugees from Pakistan. The
contribution of RSS during the war times has been immense. In the Sino-Indian
War in 1962, the RSS swayamsevaks from across the nation assembled in the North
East of India to help the army as well as the locals during those trying times. During
the 1965 Indo-Pak war, PM Shastri requested RSS to help control traffic in
Delhi so that the policemen could be freed for defence duties. When
Pakistanis were trying to take over Jammu and Kashmir, it was the dedicated swayamsevaks
who cleared the snow from the airstrips and repaired airfields so that the
Indian air force could land their aircrafts. It is a widely acknowledged fact that
the RSS was instrumental in helping Sikhs in large numbers when murderers went
on rampage to kill them in Delhi in the gruesome 1984 anti-Sikh riots, where
even government machinery failed. The important role played by the RSS on
every occasion of war, shows beyond all doubts, the nationalist character of
the organization.
Apart from the role of a paramilitary force, the RSS has also
been instrumental in the development of the nation. It runs around 27,000
Schools in remote tribal areas of the country where more than 8 lakh socially
deprived tribal students are being educated. It is the first one to lend its
hand in majority of natural disasters in the country including the 2001 Gujarat Earthquake, 2004 TN Tsunami, 2009
Karnataka – Andhra Pradesh massive floods, 2013 Uttarakhand floods, or any
man-made disaster such as the Bhopal gas leak tragedy. Seva Bharati, an
RSS-affiliated NGO has, till date, adopted thousands of children from militancy
affected areas who are then provided education. It runs over 1,70,000 projects
across India via organizations like Seva Bharati, catering to every language,
state, religion, caste, colour and creed.
Despite their selfless service to the nation and immense
contribution to nation-building, the RSS is among the most infamous outfits in
the country today. It is panned as an intolerant, extremist group that is,
sadly, even compared to militant organisations at times. Bashing the RSS has
become fashion. A reality check is required. Maligning an organization of this
stature is in no manner going to assist the country. The organization that has
produced great leaders such as Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Lal Krishna Advani, Narendra
Modi and many others. Naturally, the organization would support the national
causes and would raise grievances against the anti-national activities. That is
in absolute domain of the organization and that there should be no assumption
of any communal colour to such activities. Facts about the organization would,
on the contrary, show that the allegations on RSS are baseless and are made by
those camouflaging themselves as ‘secular-liberals’. The RSS has been banned thrice till date. It was first banned
in the year 1948 by the Nehru Government, secondly during the 1975 Emergency by
the Indira Gandhi Government, and thirdly in the year 1992 by the Narsimha Rao
Government. The ban was lifted on all the three occasions as no evidence
against them was found to prove their involvement in any of the anti-national activities
for which the organization was banned. In fact,
it is believed that Nehru was against the RSS purely for political reasons. The
RSS was banned for the first time on Nehru’s orders, it is believed, as he
suspected that Sardar Patel might form a political alliance with them and
challenge the Congress. The only
reason for such myths being widespread in the country is that they are a
creation of ‘The Political Party’ which has ruled the country for about 50
years. The party has been ruling by creating, elevating and coddling such myths
to protect their vote bank. Conspicuously, the RSS was banned by the same party
on each of the three occasions. The facts are clear, unambiguous and right in
front of us. Let us get them clear and then form our valued opinions without
being swayed by the widespread myths.
Jai Hind
!
