Between Us

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's praise for the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), in its centenary year, from the ramparts of the Red Fort, is being seen both as an outreach to his parent organisation, as well as an acknowledgement in shaping his political journey.

- Pankaj Vohra

Opposition leaders have lashed out at the PM for showering praise on the RSS, which over the years, in their estimation, has been fomenting communal trouble, and is fascist in nature. They have raised questions regarding the need to pay generous compliments to the organisation on the occasion of the country's Independence Day.

However, the Opposition needs to be reminded that the RSS, which during its long and chequered history may have been banned multiple times by the Congress governments, was invited by Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru to be a part of the Republic Day parade on the Rajpath way back in 1963, for its civil defence role during the Sino-India conflict in 1962.

The RSS has many critics, but simultaneously, its positive contributions cannot be undermined either. No one can doubt its patriotic and nationalist credentials, even though, there have been doubts over how some of its functionaries have pursued a divisive agenda, which has been detrimental for the unity and integrity of the country.

The RSS is an outfit which claims to be a cultural organisation, though Modi in his speech described it as the largest NGO in the world. However, it is well known that culture is another name given to "pursuit of power", which is also amongst the definitions of politics. And if it is an NGO, it is an entity which has had an overbearing influence on the functioning of the Central as well as State governments.