New Delhi: India is a “Hindu Rashtra” and will remain so as long as even one person considers the country his “matrabhoomi (motherland)” and calls himself a Hindu, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat said Tuesday.
“Bharat is a Hindu Rashtra. This is the truth. No one can change that,” Bhagwat said while releasing a book The RSS: Roadmaps for 21st century, written by the ABVP organising secretary Sunil Ambekar.
“As long as even one person considers the country his matrabhoomi and calls himself a Hindu, this will remain a Hindu nation. The rest can change according to time, period and circumstances,” he added.
Bhagwat also maintained that the RSS believes in uniting the entire nation, including “every section of society”.
“Sangh chahta hai poora samaj sangathit ho… aur poora samaj yani poora samaj jo bharat ko apni matrabhoomi maan nein waala hai, uski bhakti karta hai – technically, Bharat ka citizen ban kar jo rehna chahta hai (The Sangh wants the entire society to be united, and the ‘entire society’ means everyone who considers India as his/her motherland, who worships India – technically, everyone who wants to live here as a citizen of India. ”.
Bhagwat insisted that the RSS believes in uniting people, even those who may not call themselves Hindu — that is what the Sangh is. “Jo sab logo ko jodkar rakh sakta hai. Jo kahein hum Hindu nahi hain, aap jo bhi hai,.. humaare hai… ye maankar poora samaj samrudh bane. Ye Sangh hai,” he said.
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‘Homosexuality not a problem, can be addressed’
The RSS chief also addressed homosexuality and transgenders, saying it is not a “big problem” and can be addressed through discussions. “You can see in ancient history, people like Shikhandi (a transgender character in the Mahabharata) existed in society,” he said.
“We have not discussed this at length.. because it is not such a big problem,” Bhagwat added. “With maturity and a humane approach we can find a solution to it.”
The RSS chief Bhagwat maintained that the Sangh is not governed by ‘–logies and –isms’.
Bhagwat said there is no such thing as Sangh’s ideologue, though he maintained Ambekar’s book offers an opportunity for people to understand the Sangh, which is good for the RSS.
“This book is Sunil Ambekar’s understanding of RSS and is drawn from his experiences on ground. We never curtail freedom of expression and everyone has the freedom to express their views and expression,” he said. “But once a consensus has been arrived at everyone is bound by that.”
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