Opposition slams RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat for 'doublespeak', Muslim scholars welcome his call for unity

New Delhi: The Opposition parties criticised RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat over his views on a range of issues and accused him of "doublespeak" while Muslim scholars welcomed his call for unity, saying misunderstandings should be removed from both sides.

Projecting a benign and modern image of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), Bhagwat on Thursday said Islam will always have a place in India as he dismissed speculation about a rift with the BJP while asserting that Akhand Bharat is an immutable reality.

In a question-answer session lasting two-and-a-half hours, the RSS sarsanghchalak responded to questions ranging from Manusmriti to Artificial Intelligence (AI), tariffs, caste, education, patriotism, partition, illegal immigration, attacks on Muslims, and, most importantly, the age of retirement for politicians.

The Congress took a swipe at Bhagwat for his remarks that he had never said he would retire or that someone else should retire at 75, commenting that in over a month, he had made "contradictory statements".

"One month, one person, two contradictory statements," Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said in a post on X, tagging media reports on Bhagwat's statement on Thursday and in July.

Congress Rajya Sabha MP Pramod Tiwari also took potshots at Bhagwat over his clarification about retiring at 75, asking what happened behind the scenes that he had to change his statement.

"I recall that a few days ago, he had said that when you become 75 years old, you should step aside and allow others to do the work," the Congress MP told PTI Videos.

"Then what was the fault of (BJP stalwarts) L K Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi and Kalraj Mishra that they were moved to a Margdarshak Mandal after they turned 75?" he said.

In an apparent reaction to the RSS chief's remarks on retirement age, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav said in a post on X in Hindi, "I will neither retire nor let it happen. When it came to one's own turn, rules were changed." "This double standard is not good. Nobody trusts those who backtrack on their own words... Those who lose trust, lose power," Yadav added.

AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi hit out at Bhagwat over his remarks and accused him of "doublespeak".

"It is the RSS-sponsored and supported organisations which perpetuate hate against Muslims. And, in fact, hate against Muslims has been institutionalised during Narendra Modi's tenure," he charged in an exclusive interview with PTI Videos.

On Bhagwat's suggestion that every Indian family should have three children to keep the population sufficient and under control, Owaisi alleged that the RSS, since its inception, has been continuously raising "this bogey and lies" that the way the Muslim population is growing in the country, it will take over the Hindu population.

"The fact of the matter is that the TFR (total fertility rate) of Muslims has come down. The way it has declined is higher than in any other religion," he said.

The AIMIM chief claimed that when the first Census was conducted in 1871-72, the population of Hindus in the country was 73 per cent while the Muslims were 21 per cent.

In 2011, the population of Hindus increased to 79.8 per cent and that of the Muslims to 14.23 per cent, he added.

"Why are they not talking about the great demographic dividends that India has today? You have failed in providing employment to the youth of this country. Now you are exhorting people to have three children," Owaisi charged.

"Who are you to enter into people's family lives? Why are you trying to put a burden on Indian women, who might have their own priorities in their lives? So, this is a classic doublespeak of the RSS," he added.

On the other hand, Muslim scholars lauded the RSS sarsanghchalak's views on Islam and "Mussalmans of Bharat".

Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind president Arshad Madani welcomed Bhagwat's call for unity, saying misunderstandings should be removed from both sides (Hindus and Muslims) and "efforts be made to bring them together".

Maulana Khalid Rashid Firangi Mahali, an eminent Muslim cleric based in Uttar Pradesh, welcomed the RSS chief's remarks about Islam and the Muslim community, saying "we should come together and take the country on the path of progress in a good atmosphere".

"Bhagwat said that the Hindu religion does not oppose any other religion. In a way, he supported Islam. We welcome it," he told PTI Videos.

Mahali also welcomed Bhagwat's assertion that the RSS will not participate in any movement to reclaim Kashi and Mathura, calling it a "good initiative", but differed from his view on the number of children Indian families should have.

"It is before everybody to see how much loss the country suffered due to what happened in the Babri Masjid case. These things should not be repeated. Raising the Mandir-Masjid issue again and again causes loss to people and the country," he said.

On Bhagwat's views on Islam and Muslims in India, BJP leader Praveen Khandelwal said this is the Sangh's philosophy that one who considers India his country, 'Bharat Mata' his mother and takes pride in being a 'Bharatiya', is Hindu.

"The definition of Hindu is very wide; it encompasses all," Khandelwal told PTI Videos.