Mumbai: Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat said Thursday that India needs decisive rules and laws for same-sex companionship, but opposed the idea of same-sex marriage, arguing that it would disturb the institution of marriage itself.
“Members of the LGBT community are also a part of our society, and society should provide them with a place,” Bhagwat said at an event organised by India International Movement to Unite Nations (IIMUN) in Mumbai.
Asked why the Sangh doesn’t support LGBTQIA+ marriages, Bhagwat said it would undermine the traditional institution of marriage.
“In Bharatiya society, the purpose of marriage is not merely for two individuals to live together. Marriage is also regarded as an institution for nurturing good progeny and building a strong society,” he remarked. “If we disturb the existing system, it will create conflict. From this perspective, same-sex marriage should not be regarded as marriage.”
Asked to weigh in on the conflicts between India and its neighbours, Pakistan and China, Bhagwat said that people should follow what the government says during conflict times.
“The Indian solution is to stay harmonious and peaceful. There should not be any permanent hatred or enmity because humanity is one,” he said. “But in times of conflict, one should follow what the government says.”
Bhagwat also spoke on the issue of reservation, saying that it became necessary for social reasons. “As long as social discrimination exists, reservation will continue to be necessary. Reservation should not become a subject of politics. If all corrective measures are implemented honestly and effectively, the need for reservation may eventually cease,” he said.
Bhagwat also spoke about how the RSS views the role of women in society and in the organisation, saying the role of women should be seen as equal and complementary.
According to him, the RSS would not have thrived, when it was started about 100 years ago, if women had headed it.
He said that therefore, there was a separate parallel organisation for women, so that they don’t interfere in the men’s organisation, and the men don’t interfere in their function.
“The perception that women have no place in the Sangh is incorrect,” Bhagwat said.
(Edited by Sugita Katyal)
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RSS now sounds like the Christian fundamentalists of America. Too much Trumpian and social media influence on RSS, I guess. They have changed their stance on most social issues.