JOIN USNow’s the time to shut Pandora’s box
RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s comments on the Gyanvapi mosque and a range of other topics are welcome in the present polarised and vitiated atmosphere in the country where religious and communal divides are sought to be made wider and deeper. At a gathering of RSS cadre in Nagpur, he spoke on many issues on which the RSS and other Sangh Parivar organisations have campaigned and agitated. To most, it has seemed that Bhagwat struck a conciliatory note and spoke against escalating some issues. He spoke of the diversity in Indian society in terms of language, faith and region and how they contribute to the essential unity of the country. He had a view on the Russia-Ukraine war in terms of what India could have done about it and even, importantly, blamed western counties for pitting India and Pakistan against each other.
But the operative part of the speech was the view that if a solution to disputes cannot be found through negotiation, everyone should accept the decision of the courts. This was in the context of the current dispute and the ongoing movement within the courts and outside about the Gyanvapi mosque in Varanasi and other similar issues. The view that there is no need to look for a Shivling in every mosque is a rejection of the current campaign, especially when it is supported by a view of history that is at odds with that propagated by many in the Sangh Parivar. Bhagwat made it very clear: “There is history which we cannot change. We didn’t write that history, neither the Hindus nor the Muslims of the present. It happened in the past.’’ This would make many of the current campaigns to correct historical “wrongs” irrelevant. He also said that “now we (the RSS) will not be involved in any campaign.”
There are doubts and scepticism about the genuineness of Bhagwat’s statements and what impact they will have on the current situation. There have been similar statements in the past, but they have not always been translated into attitudes in the minds of the ranks and actions on the ground. The strong endorsement of the role of courts and the Constitution and the need for consensus is welcome but would need clarification. In the case of the Gyanvapi mosque, for example, does it mean that the RSS accepts that the Places of Worship Act bars reopening of the issue? The Supreme Court order on the Act and an existing consensus on the Mathura Krishnajanmabhoomi case have been challenged now. While Bhagwat’s assertions and disavowals are significant, they also need to be publicly endorsed by the BJP and the government at the Centre for them to make a difference.