RSS lends weight to BJP's pitch on core issues

Lending its weight to the Modi government’s decisions on abrogation of special status of Jammu and Kashmir and BJP’s new pitch for NRC across the nation, the RSS will ask its cadres to take the message to people as there is a need to “arrest the demographic balance”.

This was indicated on Friday, at the concluding ceremony of the three-day Akhil Bharatiya Karyakari Mandal (ABKM) meeting in Odisha.

The RSS' ABKM meeting took place a month after the crucial BJP-RSS coordination meet in Pushkar, during which issues like the abrogation of Article 370, demand for a nationwide National Register of Citizens (NRC) and speedy decision on Ayodhya land dispute case had dominated the discussion.

Later, the BJP made NRC and Article 370 their central campaign theme in polls for Maharashtra and Haryana, while a decision on the Ram Temple issue by the Supreme Court is expected next month.

The RSS has also called a five-day meeting of all its full-timers from October 31 to November 4 in Hindu pilgrimage city Haridwar, where workers will be given a direction.

After the Dussehra address, in which RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat had lauded Modi government for the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir and pitched for the return of Kashmiri Pandits to the valley, it was the turn of Bhaiyyaji Joshi, Sarkaryavah (General Secretary) of RSS to buttress the point.

“Kashmiri Pandits had to leave their houses because of security reasons. We want a secure environment in Kashmir so that Kashmiri Hindus can go back to their homes,” he said.

On the Ram Temple issue, Joshi said, “all the hurdles in the way of constructing a Ram Temple at Ayodhya should be removed. Now that the hearing has been completed in the Court, we are hoping that the Court’s verdict would be in favour of Hindus.”

In sync with VHP’s clear no to a fresh bid for mediation to solve the Ram Temple issue, Joshi said these efforts were made to resolve this issue amicably, which were welcomed by RSS but as this could not happen, “all of us should wait for the verdict”.

Replying to a question on implementation of Uniform Civil Code, he said, this has been an old demand. “This should have been done at the time of framing of the Constitution. This will be beneficial for everyone and in any nation, there should be one law for all of its citizens,” he said.