Mohan Bhagwat: A Possible Change of Stance

Is it possible that the RSS Chief, Mohan Bhagwat, will turn his back on the anti-Muslim scenario of India? Mohan Bhagwat, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief, has had his organisation make Hindus develop animosity towards other communities, especially Muslims. Mohan Bhagawat is seen as the one of the key persons who are on their way to make India a “Hindu Rashtra”. However, Karan Thapar, Najeeb Jung and S.Y. Quraishi have something else to say as they disclose hitherto very important confessions by Bhagwat which could shift the views of many. Najeeb Jung was very raw and transparent when he said that back in September 2021, Mohan Bhagwat stated, “There are no Hindu Muslims it is Indian Muslims”. This may seem normal to many as if Bhagwat has not stated anything out of the ordinary. However, it is important to know that India is often correlated to be a land of great ancient history, trading and merchant history, land of spices, etc. Most importantly, the land of Hindus. With this, it is assumed that every Hindu is Indian and every Indian is Hindu. With the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) as the governing alliance, Indians have obviously known that Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) wishes to have a large Hindu majority or even a complete conversion. Some are hoping for it, some are expecting it, some are dreading it. This is subjective as it depends on which community is in question. But what happens when a key role-player only says otherwise? Whatever BJP has portrayed or tried to pull off, such as the Citizenship Amendment Act of 2019, which very evidently targeted Muslims, could be rendered useless.

Mohan Bhagwat and his Contradictions:

Every RSS or BJP follower believes in the ideology of having a purely Hindu State. In an interview with Quraishi, Mohan Bhagwat said that it is impossible for Indian Muslims to create the religious majority and dominance in the State and at the same time, it was not the intention of his (or RSS) to have Indian Hindus to do the same. This comes in contradiction as in July 2021, the RSS chief stated, “There have been organised attempts to increase the Muslim population since 1930 for the community to become a dominant force.” In the discussion, Thapar said that he and 5 more people, excluding Jung and Quraishi, shall request Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a meeting. Jung added that will raise issues with Modi in a more straightforward and direct manner, with no beating around the bush. They made it clear that they would at least raise the question on the anti-Muslim rhetoric of BJP members, in and outside India. Jung said that given that national elections will take place in 2024, he is not confident that the taunting and often offensive rhetoric used by the BJP for Muslims will be dialed down. In the discussion, three agreed that Bhagwat could change his stance on issues like CAA which he has defended in the past. It is even possible that Bhagwat may suggest the prime minister to slow down or reconsider the decisions made. We have seen multiple occasions, be it a political gathering or a religious one, where the speakers called for genocide of Muslims. Even the current Union Minister of Information & Broadcasting and Youth Affairs & Sports, Anurag Thakur, raised the slogans of “Desh ke Gaddaro ko, Goli Maaro” (shoot the traitors). It is believed that Mohan Bhagwat will speak out if any future genocidal calls are made, even though this was not the case earlier in December 2021 when in Haridwar, a “Dharm Sansad” made such calls. Jung repeatedly said that Mohan Bhagwat said that it was time that the organization reached out to Muslims and brought them to the mainstream thus, improving the relation between Hindus and Muslims. Adding to that, Jung said that the RSS chief wants to make efforts to respond to the concerns of Muslims over their fear and insecurity in their own country. The RSS chief, Mohan Bhagwat, stated that there are two issues in India. First being the slaughter of cows and second being Muslims calling Hindus “kafir”. He further said that in his opinion, Muslims would not mind giving up beef. The discussion made the men feel that Mohan Bhagwat’s statements were not only sincere but also convincing. The discussion was closed with the hope of India changing by being more tolerant and harmonious in the future.