That the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) played little role in the national movement is no secret; neither has the hardline Hindutva ideology played a significant role in the Partition. The Sangh Parivar was also sceptical of the Constitution which premised itself on democratic, federal and secular principles. In short, Independent India took root in a way that was not to its liking.
However, the RSS has been careful not to project itself as an organisation antagonistic to the ideas that built and sustained the nation over the last 75 years even while criticising the government that ruled the country. Hence the statement of RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat that India achieved “true independence” only on the occasion of the consecration of the Ram temple at Ayodhya appears to be at variance not only with the history of India but also the position the RSS has publicly adhered to.
The statement even fails to match the sentiments the RSS chief has expressed of late, chiding those who have made it a project to look for a Hindu religious symbol under prominent historical Muslim places of worship in several parts of the country, even in violation of the 1991 Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act.
It is a fact that the RSS and Sangh Parivar were behind the Ram temple movement and it is perfectly understandable that they would want to make its consecration an important milestone in the history of the nation. This is important since it has apparently failed as a political project as was evidenced by the results of the Lok Sabha elections held in 2024, months after its inauguration. The RSS, which is celebrating its centenary this year, may have very little to showcase as its historical achievement, and hence the effort to project the temple as such.
It is quite evident that the Congress and the Opposition would react strongly to the efforts to undermine India’s history, including the national movement and Independence. Both Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi have been unequivocal in their condemnation of the RSS chief’s statement. They expressed their indignation and wondered why there is no legal action against denigrating national victories and replacing them with partisan projects. West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee has also joined the chorus, saying Mr Bhagwat’s statement was treason and an attempt to distort history.
While repeating his charge that the BJP and the RSS have “captured every single institution of our country”, Mr Gandhi has said his party is now “fighting the BJP, the RSS and the Indian state itself”. While the Congress may be fighting the BJP and the RSS, his reference to the Indian state is a stretch; India remains a functional democracy which upholds citizens’ rights. Equally disproportionate is the BJP’s reaction to it, saying that the true colours of the Congress are visible now. The BJP has every right to label those who demand respect for basic human rights as “urban Naxals” but painting the 140-year-old political organisation which played its part in the Independence movement as anti-national is unlikely to wash. Both the Congress and the BJP need to show some restraint when talking of facts, both historic and current.
