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New Delhi, 15 June
2018
Ex-President at RSS
A SHOCK TREATMENT
By Dr.S.Saraswathi
(Former Director,
ICSSR, New Delhi)
The
latest controversy over a non-issue surrounds the visit of former President
Pranab Mukherjee a staunch Congressman for over
five decades, to deliver the
Valedictory Address at the RSS headquarters in Nagpur to the final year
students of Officers’ Training Camp. The event, by itself a normal function in
an education-cum-training institute, gave fodder to empty mouths to chew upon.
The excitement it suddenly created subsided with the same rapidity and has left
no lasting after effect.
The
very news about the invitation to the Mukherjee from the RSS and his acceptance
provoked immediate reaction from some Congress leaders, who are presently busy
working on plans to gather anti-BJP votes in one basket in 2019 and dethrone
Modi. At this juncture, the friendly gesture of one of its leaders towards the mentor of its political rival, the BJP, it
seems, amounts to something like political
defection though the term is not applicable. For the media, always eager to grab
some sensational news, it was a lovely catch. Speculation in the media and
unease in the Congress were openly exhibited.
The worry among the Congressmen arises from its difficulty to differentiate the RSS and the BJP. Their concern was very basic over the acceptability of the RSS to honour its invitation. Former President’s participation in an important function of the
RSS, in the opinion of some anti-BJP political parties, would amount to bestowing legitimacy on an organisation treated as a political untouchable within the
country. Some Congress leaders are reported to have appealed to him to decline
the invite.
Even Mukherjee’s
daughter is reported to have extended
help to the Congress as a party member
and its spokesperson in persuading her father from appearing on the stage of the
RSS. Her tweet that the BJP’s “dirty
tricks department” will use his address to spread false accounts and rumours and her
observation that his speech would be
forgotten while the visuals will be circulated with fake statements were of no
avail. Disapproval of the Congress to the decision of this veteran Congress statesman to address RSS disciples was clearly conveyed
by the absence of any local Congress leader to receive him at the airport.
In this
background, Mukherjee’s speech must have
disappointed those political leaders expecting
indications of a political change in this seasoned politician and chances of a great split in parties before the
election. To the surprise of all, it was
an extremely sober speech the contents of which cannot be rebutted. It was a speech of a patriot, nationalist,
constitutionalist, and pluralist.
Critics
in the Congress, who expressed strong reservations about
ex-president’s RSS visit had to
quickly change their tone to appreciate
“Citizen Mukherjee’s” well-guarded nationalist approach.
Veteran
BJP leader, LK Advani has stated that the speech was an “illuminating
exposition of the noble idea and ideals of Indian nationalism” – a sentiment
facing serious threat from many
quarters.
For
those averse to engaging with the RSS to resolve issues , it was a lesson in dialogue. Mukherjee visited
the birth place of the RSS founder,
K.B.Hedgewar and recorded in the Visitor’s Book that he was “a great son of
India” – a tribute hard to digest by the opponents of the RSS. Political parties have cultivated a desire to
destroy the traditional culture of
bestowing appreciation and respect irrespective of the political
philosophy of the person concerned. The event set a praiseworthy example Advani
put it, of dialogue transcending
ideological affiliations and differences.
One
need not be a pro-RSS person to see political sagacity in this historic
visit. The country is going through a
very difficult time and needs all out efforts to promote united endeavour to build
the nation. All organisations and groups
that have a legal existence in the country
and working in some way for the
welfare of the people have to come together in the task of nation building.
It is
pure politics to argue that Mukherjee’s speech was intended to wake up the
Congress to give up caste/ communal politics in the garb of secularism or to remind the RSS and its friends to accept
the reality of pluralism of the nation.
The message is meant for the entire nation. The principle of tolerance embedded in the
Indian cultural heritage was brought to light once again.
Nevertheless, former President’s acceptance of the status
of Chief Guest at the RSS function, his
address, his visit lasting for a whole day at the RSS was something like a
shock treatment to the Congress.
It seems that there are elements in the party that expect
a docile person in the former President expressing his lifelong
gratitude to his party by thought,
words, deeds, and silent inaction for making him President of India.
Evidently,
rapid political changes especially about inter-party relationships, and party-people interaction cause changes in
individual behaviour and party outlook and strategies.
Speculations
abound regarding the fall-out of Mukherjee-RSS chief meeting at RSS stage and expectations of radical developments before elections. Whether it will soften anti- RSS beliefs and lead to
recognition to this well-founded
organisation is a moot question. Sure, it will make people now taking sides
without basic knowledge and information, to think
and learn about the philosophy preached and the training given by the RSS. It is unacceptable, but true, that
most people are inclined to form judgements on rumours,
unverified accounts and reports, and information passed on through
organizations and reluctant to go through the arduous process of learning.
This is applicable to several
other organisations functioning in the country.
The
Congress of pre-independence India was concerned mainly with fighting the British political conquest of India, whereas the RSS was and
still is concerned with
intrusions into its rich
heritage by alien political-cultural invasions. RSS workers, as part of the wider
Janata Party were also imprisoned during the Internal Emergency. But, to the
surprise of junior politicians,
Mukherjee’s speech did not touch these controversial issues and highlighted the essential unity of India which
accepts and respects all diversities including the pluralism of faiths.
Former
Presidents of India are regarded as citizens of
the country without any party affiliation. But, they are not barred from leading an
active life not excluding politics. In
the US, after tenure as President, John
Quincy Adam became a member of the House of Representatives in the State of
Massachusetts; John Tyler entered the Confederate House of Representatives; William Taft became the Chief Justice of the
Supreme Court.
After
all, the RSS has legal existence in the country and conducts vigorous learning
and training programmes. Useful
interaction between people from different background can go a long way in
creating a climate of peaceful coexistence of different ideologies taking the
nation towards unity and integrity.
The RSS
event is not without a follow up. Congress
Iftar, it is reported, is
extending invitation to the same former
President, and when it comes through, it
will even the political balance that was
upset at Nagpur recently. However, if the
occasion is used for a get-together of
like-minded political parties to
reinforce their unity of purpose as
expected by some partners, the effect will be different.---INFA
(Copyright,
India News & Feature Alliance)
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