Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday lambasted Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) for making continuous efforts to impose its nefarious idea of Hindutva, beginning from pre-independence era in the country.
Speaking in Malayalam at Karavali Souharda Rally, a harmony meet in the coast organised by Communist Party of India (Marxist), Karnataka, at Nehru Maidan here, Vijayan dedicated his hour-long speech to criticise RSS in Dakshina Kannada district, its stronghold.
Vijayan narrated how the RSS was influenced from infamous dictators - Italy’s Benito Mussollini and Germany’s Adolf Hitler - in getting rid of the minorities in the society.The RSS has developed a fascist and narcissist mindset under the corrupt influence of Mussolini and Hitler and nurses hatred towards Muslims, Chrisitians and also Communists as they do not believe in the concept of egalitarian set-up, he charged.
He said the RSS, though founded in 1925, stayed away from independence movement for 22 years till the country got its independence. Ironically, when most of the organisations wanted to oust Britishers from India, the then right wing leader Veer Savarkar was hobnobbing with Britishers for pursuing similar interests. Nathuram Godse was not just the killer of Mahatma Gandhi, he was also a weapon in the hands of right wing then, he criticised.
Saying that RSS has fuelled many communal clashes in the country and continues to keep the ember of disharmony, Vijayan recalled how, an article published under the headline ‘Nation’s Flag’ in ‘Organiser’ (RSS mouthpiece) argued in favour of rechristening India as ‘Hindustan’. Such inherent arguments still continue with the recent one coming from the home minister of the country who wants to get rid of word ‘secularism’ from the country, he charged.
Referring to the threat that loomed large over his visit to address the rally following a hartal call given by the right wing organisations, Vijayan thanked the Karnataka government for ensuring a peaceful day out in the city amid gun-totting security personnel.
However, Vijayan did not forget to remind his detractors that he is not a flash in the pan, as he had walked with ease amid the weapon-wielding right wing activists, during his college days. He also held RSS responsible for killings of at least 205 of 600 CPM workers killed in Kerala in the last few years.
V J K Nair, member, CPM Karnataka state secretariat, translated Vijayan’s speech into Kannada for the benefit of the participating people, mostly from Dakshina Kannada and also from the neighbouring Kerala State. Vijayan left Mangaluru by train at 5.45 pm. Before boarding the train, he thanked the Mangaluru police for the elaborate security arrangements.
