On reservation, RSS and BJP are on the same page

Almost a decade before the issue of reservation took centre stage in Indian politics, the RSS passed a resolution on this issue in 1981.

Mohan Bhagwat, the Sarsanghchalak of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has spelt out once again the stand of the organisation on the issue of reservation that is no different from the stand of its ideological mentee, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Responding to a debate that was kicked off by a propaganda video on social media that said that the RSS and the BJP were opposed to reservation, Bhagwat categorically mentioned in a speech on April 28 in Hyderabad that the RSS is in favour of reservation for the Scheduled Castes (SCs), the Scheduled Tribes (STs), and Other Backward Castes (OBCs) and this has always been its stand.

RSS’ efforts to end caste discrimination
Almost a decade before the issue of reservation took centre stage in Indian politics and public discourse with the implementation of Mandal Commission recommendations, the highest decision-making body of the RSS, the Akhil Bharatiya Pratinidhi Sabha (ABPS), passed a resolution in 1981 on this issue. The resolution stated that the ‘RSS considers it necessary that reservation be continued for the present with a view to bringing all these brethren of ours who have remained backward in educational, social and economic fields over the centuries at par with the rest of society.’

The BJP has also taken a similar stand on this issue, and has been in favour of reservation—thus, both the RSS and the BJP are on the same page when it comes to reservations.

Since its inception in 1925, the RSS has been working towards ending caste discrimination in Hindu society. It is structured in such a way that the caste identities are diluted as its volunteers address each other by their first names. The surnames, which often denote the caste, are not mentioned in the RSS. Every RSS ‘shakha’ holds a ‘sahbhoj’ (community dinner) where its volunteers bring food from their homes and eat together irrespective of their caste or religion. In the training camps, thousands of volunteers stay together in dormitories for several days.

Gandhi and Ambedkar

In 1934, Mahatma Gandhi visited the RSS camp in Wardha, Maharashtra, and was impressed by the fact that all the volunteers were sitting and eating together. None of them were bothered about the caste of the Swayamsevak (volunteer) sitting next to him. Gandhi recalled this visit when he addressed a meeting on September 16, 1947, in Delhi.

Harijan, a weekly newspaper published by Gandhi, published a report about this meeting on September 28, 1947. The report said that Gandhi had visited an RSS camp at Wardha and what caught his attention was the discipline and absence of untouchability.

“Since then, the Sangh has grown. Gandhi ji was convinced that any organisation, which was inspired by the ideal of service and self-sacrifice, was bound to grow in strength,” the report added.

In 1935, B R Ambedkar visited an RSS shakha at Dapoli near Pune. In 1939, he was invited to an RSS training camp in Pune. There he also met RSS founder K B Hedgewar. There were more than 500 RSS volunteers at that camp when Ambedkar reached there, and it is believed that he noted that there was no discrimination based on caste.

Affirmative action on the ground

While many outfits have paid lip service to the cause of ending caste discrimination and the uplift of the marginalised sections, the RSS has worked towards it on the ground. Currently, RSS volunteers run many welfare projects empowering socio-economically backward sections.

The RSS’ Samajik Samrasta works towards mainstreaming the poor and the downtrodden cutting across caste and religion. Using the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) platform, various seers and religious heads have called for ending caste discrimination.

One of the guiding principles of the RSS’ efforts for the uplift of the backwards castes is the historic speech of the third RSS chief Balasaheb Deoras in Vasant Vyakhyanmala (lecture series) at Pune in 1974. Deoras said, “Untouchability is a… saddening and unfortunate aspect of our social inequality....all of us consider that untouchability is a terrible folly and it must, of necessity, be thrown out lock, stock and barrel....Every one of us must, therefore, aim at eradicating social inequality in each and every form....It is necessary that every individual must make his or her contribution in this effort. That would remove a stumbling block in the way of Hindu Consolidation.”

(Arun Anand has written two books on the RSS.)

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are the author's own. They do not necessarily reflect the views of DH.