India is a Hindu nation, no constitutional approval needed: Mohan Bhagwat
RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat emphasised that India would remain a Hindu nation as long as people celebrate the cultural heritage of the country and the glory of their ancestors.
The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief, Mohan Bhagwat, on Sunday said that India is already a Hindu Rashtra (nation), and no constitutional approval is needed as it is the "truth." He emphasised that the country would remain a Hindu nation as long as people celebrate the cultural heritage of the country and the glory of their ancestors.
"The sun rises in the east; we don't know since when this has been happening. So, do we need constitutional approval for that too? Hindustan is a Hindu nation. Whoever considers India their motherland appreciates Indian culture, as long as there is even one person alive on the land of Hindustan who believes in and cherishes the glory of Indian ancestors, India is a Hindu nation," Bhagwat said while addressing a conference in Kolkata, as reported by news agency ANI.
Adding further, he noted that the RSS, which strictly believes in the ideology of Hindutva, does not care about whether Parliament amends a law to make India a Hindu nation.
"If Parliament ever decides to amend the Constitution and add that word, whether they do it or not, it's fine. We don't care about that word because we are Hindus, and our nation is a Hindu nation. That is the truth. The caste system based on birth is not the hallmark of Hindutva," he added.
The RSS leader said one should use their native language instead of a foreign language. "When you are Bengali-speaking people, write 'Swagatam' instead of 'Welcome' at the entrance of your residence," he said.
There are some misconceptions about the RSS among a section of people due to "misleading campaigns", he remarked. The Sangh chief asserted that though the organisation is "staunchly nationalist", it bears no anti-Muslim sentiment, and has always worked with transparency.
"If there is a perception that we are anti-Muslim, then, as I said, the RSS work is transparent. You can come anytime and see for yourself, and if you see anything like that happening, then you keep your views, and if you don't see it, then you change your views. There is a lot to understand (about RSS), but if you don't want to understand, then no one can change your mind," Bhagwat added.
The RSS does not have any political agenda, but anti-India and anti-Sangh propaganda has gained pace, he claimed, due to "bad people" who fear the rise of Hinduism. He said people were free to form opinions about the RSS, but those views should be based on facts and not on "narratives and secondary source information".