Rashtriya Swayam Sevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat’s remark triggered outrage on Monday when he said:
Sangh will prepare military personnel within three days, which the Army would do in 6-7 months. This is our capability. Swayamsewaks will be ready to take on the front if the country faces such a situation and Constitution permits to do so.RSS Chief, Mohan Bhagwat
These comments made at a gathering of RSS workers in Muzaffarpur, Bihar, came under attack from opposition parties.
And this isn’t the first time Bhagwat’s statements have stoked controversy.
1. All Muslims Are... Hindus
Addressing a public function at Agartala’s Swami Vivekananda Maidan in December 2017, the RSS supremo said:
The Muslims in India are also Hindus. We have no enmity with anyone. We want welfare of all. To unite all is the meaning of Hindutva. Hindus believe in truth, but the world respects strength. There is strength in organisation. Being organised is the natural law.RSS Chief, Mohan Bhagwat on 18 December 2017
2. Everyone Born in India Is a Hindu By Birth (Whatever That Means)
Addressing a rally in Madhya Pradesh in February 2017, Bhagwat’s quest for a Hindu Rashtra was again at the fore:
Everyone born in the country is a Hindu – of these some are idol-worshipers and some are not. Even Muslims are Hindus by nationality, they are Muslims by faith only. Just as the English live in England, Americans in America and Germans in Germany, Hindus live in HindustanRSS Chief, Mohan Bhagwat on 8 February, 2017
3. Mother Teresa’s Hidden Agenda
Bhagwat also made statements about the late Nobel Peace Prize winner and social worker Mother Teresa while addressing a function of a local NGO near Bharatpur in 2015:
It’s good to work for a cause with selfless intentions. But Mother Teresa’s work had ulterior motive, which was to convert the person who was being served to Christianity.RSS Chief, Mohan Bhagwat on 23 February 2015
4. Women Can Be ‘Disowned’ If They Violate ‘Contract’
Addressing another rally in Indore, Mohan Bhagwat dispensed some relationship advice:
A husband and wife are involved in a contract under which the husband has said that you should take care of my house and I will take care of all your needs. I will keep you safe. So, the husband follows the contract terms. Till the time the wife follows the contract, the husband stays with her, if the wife violates the contract, he can disown her.RSS Chief, Mohan Bhagwat on 6 January 2013
This was not the first time Mr Bhagwat spoke of duties of men and women in India.
5. Rapes Happen in ‘India’ Not ‘Bharat’
Addressing a citizens’ meet in Silchar, RSS supremo Bhagwat blamed westernisation for increasing rape cases in the country. He said:
Such crimes hardly take place in ‘Bharat’, but they occur frequently in ‘India’. You go to villages and forests of the country and there will be no such incidents of gang-rape or sex crimes. They are prevalent in some urban belts. Besides new legislations, Indian ethos and attitude towards women should be revisited in the context of ancient Indian values.RSS Chief, Mohan Bhagwat on 4 January 2013
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