RSS will support laws against Love Jihad: Sarkaryavah Dattatreya Hosabale

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) will support laws against Love Jihad, its newly-elected Sarkaryavah Dattatreya Hosabale said Saturday and he maintained that this issue had nothing to do with religion.

“The use of fraudulent methods to lure girls for marriage, (religious) conversion, any kind of misuse or taking them to other countries has to be condemned and opposed,” Hosabale told reporters. “Some states have even come forward to make laws against this and the RSS supports this.”

Asked about the nomenclature, Hosabale said ‘Love Jihad’ was used by the courts and not the Sangh. “Karnataka and Kerala High Courts have confirmed the practice of Love Jihad,” he said, adding that there was no question of religion in this.

Hosabale was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the Akhila Bharatiya Pratinidhi Sabha (ABPS), the RSS’ highest decision-making body that concluded here.

Also read: Dattatreya 'Dattaji' Hosabale elected RSS General Secretary

Hosabale also distanced the RSS away from Uttarakhand Chief Minister Tirath Singh Rawat’s statement on women wearing ripped jeans. Asked about criticism linking the RSS to Rawat’s comments, he said: “(Rawat) is capable of answering. It’s not that everything in the country happens due to the RSS. What the Sangh has to communicate, it does from its forums...there’s no reason to bring RSS into all allegations.”

Responding to the RSS being targeted by political parties, Hosabale said they were free to express their opinions in a democracy. “But, it is wrong to say that the government is controlled from one place,” he said. “The entire country comes together for a cause when needed. The Ram Mandir, for example, saw crores of people across party lines coming together. “Not just Hindus, even people of other religions wilfully became a part of the campaign,” he said.

Under Hosabale’s tenure as Sarkaryavah, the RSS will focus on its expansion plan. “The RSS will complete its national service in 2025. We have planned to reach every mandal in the country,” he said. Also, the RSS will work in the cultural space among other things. “Social harmony, environment, water conservation, family values...the RSS will work towards uniting the entire society by resolving all differences,” he said.

During its 2-day meeting, the ABPS passed two resolutions: that the construction of Ram Mandir was a manifestation of the “innate strength of Bharat” and that “Bharat stands united against the Covid-19 pandemic”.