Indore, Nov 4 RSS General Secretary Dattatreya Hosabale on Wednesday claimed that some internal and external “anarchist forces” were inciting the country’s youth, and said spreading violence or unrest in the name of regime change was not in society’s interest.
He also defended the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists, saying it was necessary for ensuring error-free lists, and the Opposition should examine the issue before protesting.
Asked about the Kashi Vishwanath-Gyanvapi Mosque and Krishna Janmabhoomi-Shahi Eidgah disputes, he said the RSS was not thinking of launching any fresh agitation on these issues as many people were working to resolve them.
Hosabale was speaking to reporters here after the annual meeting of the Akhil Bharatiya Karyakari Mandal, the main organisational body of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.
To a question about the recent Gen Z agitation at Jantar Mantar in Delhi, he said that some “anarchist forces” within and outside the country were conspiring to incite the youth.
“…but any society and government should pay attention to the aspirations and concerns of the youth. The Sangh urges dialogue with the youth,” he added.
The need to be vigilant about anarchist forces was discussed during the RSS meeting, Hosabale said.
Anti-establishment sentiments arise in the minds of youngsters at all times, but the Sangh opposes the tendency to misuse them for political gain, he said.
To another question, he said that in India’s democratic system, a regime change occurs through elections.
Spreading unrest, violence, or creating discrimination under the guise of regime change is not in the best interests of society, he said.
Expressing surprise at the political opposition to the SIR, he said in a democracy political parties can work according to their own agendas.
But instead of protesting on an issue for the sake of protest, opposition leaders should examine whether there is any truth to it, he said.
The purpose of the SIR is to refine voter lists and make them error-free, and many of those removed from voter lists were already deceased or registered as voters in two places, Hosabale said.
Including the names of people who are not Indian citizens in voter lists is a violation of economic and social security, he further said.
SIRs have been carried out regularly in the country, the RSS leader noted.
Citing his own example, he said if he was living in Bengaluru, his name should be removed from the voter list at his native village.
“When T N Seshan was the chief election commissioner, he revised the voter lists in Bihar. What was wrong with that? Who was in power then?” he asked.
Asked about the long-pending disputes related to Kashi Vishwanath-Gyanvapi Mosque in Varanasi and Krishna Janmabhoomi-Shahi Eidgah in Mathura, Hosabale said, “It’s not true that everything should be handled in the same way. There are various ways….If some work is being done through courts, let it be done through courts.
“There is no need to launch agitations on every issue,” he added.
Many people from the vast Hindu community were already working to resolve these issues, and the Sangh was not thinking of starting a new agitation, Hosabale said.
Describing caste-based reservations as “historically and socially necessary,” the RSS leader said they should continue as long as discrimination, backwardness and inequality exist.
But there should be no vote bank politics on the issue, he added.
About the controversy over the 100-year-old RSS not yet being registered, he said the Sangh works in accordance with the Constitution and rules and regulations of the country. People can come together for social causes and run institutions even without registration, he said.
(PTI News)
