Surrender Koul
Father of the nation, Mahatma Gandhi declared his war against discriminatory and apartheid policy in South Africa when he was thrown out of 1st class train compartment on racial discrimination in 1893. His luggage was tossed on the railway platform and the train steamed away. This was unbearable humiliation on the bases of colour and race faced by Gandhi in South Africa. He stayed back to fight against discriminative policy of white being practiced against Indians in South Africa. On his return to India as young lawyer, he laid the foundation of peaceful freedom struggle in India to throw away the foreign yoke. People from all walks of life and denomination of Indian society joined the struggle under the large canopy of A.O.Hume’s Indian National Congress, under the leadership of Gandhi an undisputed leader.
The discriminatory policy, against which Gandhi waged first non violent protest and its perpetrators in South Africa, is being now in vogue in Congress party in India. A clique of Congress leaders raised hue and cry over the visit of Pranab Mukerjee, former President of Republic of India to RSS Nagpur to address their cadre on 7th June. Jairam Ramesh, former Union Cabinet Minister, third rung leader in family pyramid of Congress party had shot a letter to erstwhile President urging to call off his visit to Garbh griha in Nagpur was a kind of advisory released about the movement of Mukherjee. Describing Mukherjee’s visit to Nagpur for convocation of Pracharaks, whose job is to demolish the fundamentals of Indian democracy, would negate his political life. This would also confer legitimacy to the RSS which they are in need of. Other Congress leaders like Shiela Dikshit, P. Chidamburam, Kumari Shelja, Jaffer Shrief also spoke against Mukherjee’s decision to visit RSS Nagpur office. Congress as a whole is perturbed over the visit of their former president of the country.
Since the dawn of independence most of Congress leaders who held different portfolios in cabinet under various Congress dispensations at Centre were profusely critical of RSS Nagpur office. For condemning and demeaning RSS as communal organisation in the country, Congress leaders were at vanguard in post independence period of the country. Therefore, it is an embarrassing situation for Congress party to find their long time party leader, close to party leadership attending RSS annual function as chief guest. Congress did want their preconceived policy line against RSS to get shattered in any form or design that too by their own party stalwart. So Congress members were desperate to dissuade Mukherjee from attending the event of Saiyumsevaks. The former President had his own political calibrations to defy the tantrums from erstwhile party bigwigs and stuck to his conscious decision of being the honoured guest.
Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi are unabatedly targeting RSS, its ideology. All accusations are inflicted on RSS for lynching, harassing, the minorities within the country under cow vigilantism. For that matter even left, liberal and Marxist don’t leave any stone unturned in letting loosing hate campaign against RSS and its ideology. In light of despicable tirades used against RSS by most of the political class and certain media people were in tune to derail the acceptance of Pranab Mukherjee choice to join RSS function. Mukherjee visit to RSS has caused nervousness among the Congress as it tends to neutralize the impact of anti RSS tirades let loose by party leaders.
Before giving such irresponsible statements on this issue, Congress men should have thought that Pranab Mukherjee is no longer a Congress man. He is now independent man and free to choose or think which function to attend and where to address and what to address? Congress can’t still tie a collar in his neck to define the route to follow. The day, he was nominated for presidential election by Congress, his political activism came to naught. As a matter of fact, he himself was in suffocation in Congress party from the day he was not nominated the Prime Ministerial candidate in place of Manmohan Singh. Though being Finance Minister of India, when Manmohan Singh was the Governor of Reserve Bank of India and had more than five decades of Parliamentary experience, yet he was side lined to install Manmohan Singh, a rubber stamp Prime Minister in India. Pranab Mukherjee right from beginning was Congress activist who rose from lower rung of the party in state unit to highest level in republic India. In this political span, he worked in various capacities in the Central Government and as party functionary with unblemished record and dignity. He was party trouble shooter, hard negotiator, who rescued the party in most of the political pitfalls. He too has his own docile grouses against Congress leadership which are still undisclosed. Now beyond President of India, he has no other choice but to be free man unbound by any political backpack.
It is impudent and narrow mindedness on behalf of Congress members to pass remarks about his visits to RSS Nagpur office. What was wrong in participating in the RSS function by Mukherjee? Is RSS any kind of untouchable organisation for Congress likeminded people? Why this apartheid against RSS is being practiced? Why all obnoxious statements and comments are made against RSS by Congress and leftists especially? The followers of RSS are the citizens of India and belong to Indian race and civilization. Advocating their ideologies in public is freedom of expression and their fundamental right. We have yet to know if RSS has asked its activist to take up gun or any kind violence against any group or community. Is there particular incident where RSS had advocated pan Hinduism within the country or out of country like other religious groups. Empirically, seen RSS has been emphasising on firmament of Indian value systems in the society and are inculcating nationalist sentiments. Their outreach in rural, tribal areas to impart education among the impoverishing children and bringing them close to main land India is tremendous contribution. Or their social services during partition of the country and in past two wars with Pakistan along the bordering states are iconic.
Is it because of vote bank politics that Congress and other parties are hell-bent upon to denigrate RSS to gain sympathy of Muslims, Christian and other caste minorities to grab political power in the country?
Congress party finds no problem in meeting All Party Hurriyat Conference leaders who are vehemently cultivating anti India plateform , fomenting arms revolt against Indian state, amassing illegal money from across the border and precipitated mass migration of 4 lac Hindu minority out of the
Valley after their selective killing. Same way Congress was not averse in having a power sharing with IUML either in Kerala of at Union Cabinet level. IUML is the offshoot of same Muslim League which fought for separate home land for Muslims, consequently subcontinent was divided into India – Pakistan, in which millions of people got killed and dislocated.
Congress is itself mired in many unholy alliances just to be in power politics. Such alliances are detrimental to party policy and ideology professed by its top leaders. Their alliances with Assad Ud Din Owaisi, MP, AIMIM, the party that rakes up communal politics is questionable? Similar way Congress alliances with Mulayam Singh Yadav and Laloo Prashad Yadav parties are in violation to the fundamentals of the party. Both SP and RJD are embroiled in caste and communal card texture of Muslim- Yadav combination which tends towards social fragmentation and caste bias in share of jobs and employment. Their vote bank politics of Muslim – Yadav combination is most damaging to the Indian society. The party which had utopian ideals of society has now fallen to lowest level of petty politics to gain power at all level.
With this dwindling and double standard how could Congress party believe that their sermons would have deterred former President’s plan of visiting RSS Nagpur.
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