As a Constitutional bench is set to take up the issue of marriage equality in the coming days, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) said it is open to same-sex relationships, but will not accept same-sex marriage.
“Marriage is supposed to be between two opposite genders. It’s not a contract or an instrument of enjoyment,” general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale said at a press conference at the end of the annual meet, the Akhil Bharatiya Pratinidhi Sabha, where he responded to wide-ranging questions.
On a question on the RSS’s position on same-sex marriage, Hosabale said that they support the government’s position on the matter. The BJP government has opposed same-sex marriages, and has told the Supreme Court that allowing same-sex marriages will create “havoc” with various personal laws.
Hosabale said that any two people are welcome to stay together, but marriage should only be restricted to a man and a woman.
“In the Hindu way of life, marriage is part of our culture, and it has been going on for thousands of years. Two individuals live together, not for themselves but to start a family. It is for the betterment of society, and for the betterment of their own region. It is not for personal, physical or sexual enjoyment,” he said.
He also said that the series of meetings that the Sangh has recently held with intellectuals of the Muslim community was not an outreach but a response to a “positive” overture by the Muslims. “We are an inclusive organisation, and when someone invites us, we meet them for tea.
Increasing the role of women in the activities of the Sangh was not taken up in the Sabha, Hosabale said, as shakhas are primarily for men. “The media has discussed it but we did not. The shakha is a male activity, men get together at 5 am or 8 pm and there are games, drills, etc. Do we need women in RSS? Yes, we do, and so we have the Rashtriya Sevika Samiti...,” he said.
He also reiterated the Sangh’s stand that India is a Hindu Rashtra. “Nation and country are different; nation is a cultural concept not a theocratical one..,” he said.
'Rahul should speak responsibly'
Hosabale attacked Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for his comments on the RSS in London recently, and said that as the main leader of the primary Opposition party, Gandhi should express himself responsibly.
He also said that Gandhi does not have the right to point fingers at anyone since neither the Congress or Gandhi has apologised for the Emergency.
“I was jailed and so were thousands of others. The whole of India turned into one big jail,” he said.
He said that Gandhi was speaking due to his political agenda and his ancestors have taken action against the Sangh,” he said.
He said that there’s no Emergency now, and elections are taking place across the country, with the Congress winning a few.
“The National Advisory Council made policies, and non-members became chairmen, and crores of money of the public exchequer were spent. Was that democracy,” he said, adding that the NDA government’s National Education Policy was drafted after consultations with over 6,000 panchayats.
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