JOIN USThe Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) on Monday preferred to stay away from the controversy generated by the offer of support by Sharad Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) to the BJP in Maharashtra.
The outfit said it was for the BJP to decide on the matter.
“BJP leaders are responsible and wise. They are capable of taking a decisions on whether to accept or reject the NCP's support,” senior RSS functionary Bhaiyaji Joshi told reporters here.
On the Ram Temple issue, Joshi said the matter was on the Sangh's agenda. “There already is a Ram Temple in Ayodhya. People worship there, too,” he said, referring to the makeshift Ram Temple at the disputed place.
He said the matter was currently pending in Supreme Court, and therefore “we will have to wait” for a verdict.
Joshi also defended the Narendra Modi government on the issue of bringing back black money from Swiss banks, albeit in a veiled manner. He said the government had assured that hurdles in the way of the process were removed.
“The government has declared that it will do everything to bring back black money,” he added.
The RSS leader also said “Love Jihad” had been on the Sangh's agenda for 10 years. “Love Jihad is a social issue. It should be dealt with as such,” he remarked.
He also rejected talks that the RSS was responsible for the BJP's success in Maharashtra and Haryana.