New Delhi: As India celebrates 75 years of independence under the banner of year-long ‘Amrit Mahotsav’, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has already begun work on its plans to build a ‘new India’ on the completion of 100 years of independence in 2047, centred on the ‘Ram Temple’ in Ayodhya.
The Sangh’s emphasis is on establishing a way of social life and Indian polity that follows the principles of ‘Ram Rajya’ within the Constitutional framework and the spiritual traditions of India, according to RSS saha sarkaryavah (joint general secretary) Arun Kumar.
Ram Rajya in the Indian context implies an ideal governance and social system where the goals and activities of society, rulers and individuals are in perfect synergy resulting in peace and prosperity for all.
The RSS believes that the Indian society has had a self-realisation during the Ram temple movement and is now ready in every way to realise the vision of ‘Ram Rajya’. However, the Sangh lays a special emphasis on upholding the spirit of the Indian Constitution in its plans.
Kumar made clear indications about this roadmap at a Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) programme in the national capital earlier this month to launch the book, ‘Sabke Ram’, which is based on the anecdotal experiences during VHP’s ‘Nidhi Samarpan Abhiyan’ to involve public in the construction of Ram temple.
Elaborating on the 25-year plans, Kumar said: “As the construction of Ram Temple has begun, it seems that now the Indian society is prepared to build the India that we want to make. The journey from Ram temple to Ram Rajya has to take place in the next 25 years.”
On the idea of ‘Ram Rajya’, Kumar said: “There is no need for any sloganeering. The resolve to build the temple is being fulfilled. In the next 25 years, Shri Ram has to be established in the heart of every person in India. And every individual has to be inspired and motivated to live the personal and family life according to the principles followed by Shri Ram.”
Kumar holds the critical responsibility of coordination between the RSS and its ideological mentee, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is ruling at the Centre and in several states, and is currently the most prominent political party in India. He was entrusted with this responsibility earlier this year. Previously, he was the head of the RSS’ ‘Prachar Vibhag’ (publicity wing).
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‘In accordance with spirit of the Constitution’
On the future of Indian society and the institutional system of the country, Kumar said the nation will be built within the constitutional framework.
“In accordance with the spirit of the Constitution of India, we have to establish the dignity of every institution of the society, we have to create a model of social life that is suitable for the times we live in. And on this basis, we will build our nation as a sacred entity,” he said.
The thinking within the RSS is that the Ram Temple and Shri Ram’s life will be the focal points of this rejuvenation of the nation and society. “Just as we have to respect and follow Shri Ram in personal life, similarly in our national life also we have to follow him and respect his ideals,” Kumar said.
“Just like every institution and individual had their own dignity in the time of Shri Ram, similarly, we have to build our institutions while transforming the society, bringing necessary changes that suit the contemporary context in all the institutions of India,” he said.
To be Vishwa Guru
The RSS believes that in the next 25 years, the nation will have to be built in such a way that it could reclaim its position of ‘Vishwa Guru’. But it shouldn’t be based on power and materialistic success. Instead it should primarily be guided by the age-old spiritual traditions of India.
“It is our dream that we want to see ‘Bharat Mata’ sitting on the highest pedestal of ‘Vishwa Guru’ in the world in the coming 25 years. For us there is a picture of a Bharat endowed with ultimate splendour and power but full of spirituality for which we all have to work,” Kumar said.
To follow this roadmap, the RSS working process will comprise three key elements, which also helped in the successful culmination of the Ram temple movement.
These elements are “purity of purpose, authenticity of leadership and determination and selflessness of the people involved in this work”, Kumar said.
Overall, the RSS is preparing to begin the journey from Ram temple to Ram Rajya, which will span over the next 25 years and probably be at the centre of the national discourse.
(The writer is a research director at RSS-linked think-tank Vichar Vinimay Kendra. Views expressed are personal.)
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