Image Source : India TV. opinion | Bhagwat’s comment about Muslims has to be seen in the right context.
Mohan Bhagwat’s ‘Muslim’ remark: Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Dr. Mohan Bhagwat has courted controversy by saying that ‘Muslims have nothing to fear in India, but they should give up their claim of supremacy’.
In a recent interview with RSS mouthpieces ‘Ayozak’ and ‘Panchjanya’, Bhagwat said, “The simple truth is – Hindustan must remain Hindustan. There is no harm to the Muslims living in India today. If they If they want to stick to the faith, they can. If they want to return to the faith of their forefathers, they can do so. It is entirely their choice. Hindus do not have such dogmas.
The RSS chief also said, “Islam has nothing to fear from Hindus. But at the same time, Muslims should give up their high-handed rhetoric of supremacy.
Bhagwat said, “Muslims must give up the narrative that we are a superior race; We ruled this land once, and will rule it again. Only our way is right, everyone else is wrong. We are different, so we will remain like this, we cannot be together – they should leave this narrative.
AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi was quick to react. Owaisi alleged that the RSS was trying to incite violence against Muslims. He said, “Muslims are only talking about equality and equal citizenship, not supremacy. For them (RSS), diversity is anti-national. He (Bhagwat) is directly inciting people to commit violence against Muslims. Owaisi also said, BJP and RSS leaders never speak about inflation, unemployment, India-China border issue or falling rupee.
The AIMIM chief said, “Who is Mohan Bhagwat to allow Muslims to live in India or follow our religion? How dare they impose conditions on our citizenship? We are not here to accommodate our faith or to please the group of so-called celibates in Nagpur.
Congress leader Digvijay Singh replied in a different way. He said, ‘Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra is affecting not only BJP’s allies but also RSS. Who could have thought that there could be a day when an RSS chief would visit a madrasa or a mosque? RSS talks about Hindu Rashtra, which is against our constitution. On the other hand, BJP leaders take oath of the constitution after elections. This kind of duplicity is not good.”
Pointing out, Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh said, ‘BJP is surprised by the reaction of the people to Rahul Gandhi’s visit. Our country is known for unity in diversity and this yatra highlights this. If diversity is suppressed then unity will be in danger.
Jairam Ramesh said, “RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat met Muslim leaders, while Nitin Gadkari is now talking about unemployment and the poor. Swami Ramdev has praised Rahul Gandhi’s visit, and BJP chief JP Nadda Visited a dargah. It’s all because of the impact of Rahul’s visit.”
Samajwadi Party MP Shafiqur Rehman Barq said, ‘Muslims are neither afraid of Bhagwat nor the PM, they only fear Allah. Muslims are not number 2, they are number 1 and will remain so. BJP and RSS are only spreading hatred. Muslims have contributed a lot in saving India and driving out the British rulers. We are also citizens of our country, and we should be treated humanely. It was our Prophet who said, that I feel love for Hindustan, and therefore every Muslim will continue to love Hindustan. If any danger comes to our land then Muslims will be ready to sacrifice their lives.
Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut, whose party is now an ally of the Congress and the NCP, was the first to praise Mohan Bhagwat, saying, “He is our ‘margdarshak’ (guide), but BJP leaders should learn from him. Raut said, if If BJP leaders make Hindu-Muslim rhetoric, the country will break up.You cannot do long politics by taking advantage of fear among people.
Muslim Ulema welcomed Bhagwat’s statement. Maulana Yakub Abbas said, “The Muslims of India today do not associate themselves with the Mughal emperors”. Maulana Sufiyan Nizami said, “Muslims in India are neither living in fear nor fighting for supremacy.”
You must have noticed that different political leaders interpreted Mohan Bhagwat’s remarks differently, in a way that suited them. While Congress leaders claimed that it was because of the ‘success’ of Rahul Gandhi’s visit, Owaisi was saying that Bhagwat’s remarks are for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Sanjay Raut got a lesson from BJP from Bhagwat’s comment.
This is not the first time the RSS chief has spoken about Muslims. On September 19, 2018, Bhagwat had said, “The day we start saying that we do not need Muslims in India, Hindutva will cease to exist.” In April, 2019, Bhagwat said, Hindus and Muslims are like brothers, only their way of worship is different and there is no need to fear each other.
On July 5, 2021, Bhagwat said, ‘People involved in mob lynching cannot be real Hindus. On September 19, 2022, Bhagwat visited a mosque in Delhi. On October 5, 2022, Bhagwat spoke on the Gyanvapi Masjid controversy in Kashi and said, ‘It was not good to find Shivling everywhere and created controversy. This must stop.
There are many instances when Bhagwat made remarks about Muslims. At that time neither Rahul Gandhi was on his yatra nor was there any runup for the 2024 elections.
If we look at the statement of the RSS chief in totality, one thing will be clear. He didn’t talk about Muslims only. He also talked about Hindus and said that they should give up the mentality of being superior to others. I think Bhagwat’s comment has to be seen in this context.
Every citizen has equal rights in India. It does not matter who follows which religion. But in our daily life, we see politicians creating fear in the minds of people to garner votes. Some create fear in the minds of Hindus and some do the same with Muslims. Many religious leaders are also involved in this. The basic point is this: There is no need to be afraid and no need to create fear. There is no need to display ‘dominance’ by resorting to violence and ‘dadagiri’. If people start behaving properly, it will help us all.
Aaj Ki Baat: Monday to Friday, 9:00 PM
India’s number one and most followed super prime time news show ‘Aaj Ki Baat – Rajat Sharma Ke Saath’ was launched just before the 2014 general elections. Since its inception, the show has been redefining India’s super-prime time and is numerically way ahead of its contemporaries.
opinion | Bhagwat’s remarks about Muslims should be seen in the right context
Mohan Bhagwat’s ‘Muslim’ remark: Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Dr. Mohan Bhagwat has courted controversy by saying that ‘Muslims have nothing to fear in India, but they should give up their claim of supremacy’.
In a recent interview with RSS mouthpieces ‘Ayozak’ and ‘Panchjanya’, Bhagwat said, “The simple truth is – Hindustan must remain Hindustan. There is no harm to the Muslims living in India today. If they If they want to stick to the faith, they can. If they want to return to the faith of their forefathers, they can do so. It is entirely their choice. Hindus do not have such dogmas.
The RSS chief also said, “Islam has nothing to fear from Hindus. But at the same time, Muslims should give up their high-handed rhetoric of supremacy.
Bhagwat said, “Muslims must give up the narrative that we are a superior race; We ruled this land once, and will rule it again. Only our way is right, everyone else is wrong. We are different, so we will remain like this, we cannot be together – they should leave this narrative.
AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi was quick to react. Owaisi alleged that the RSS was trying to incite violence against Muslims. He said, “Muslims are only talking about equality and equal citizenship, not supremacy. For them (RSS), diversity is anti-national. He (Bhagwat) is directly inciting people to commit violence against Muslims. Owaisi also said, BJP and RSS leaders never speak about inflation, unemployment, India-China border issue or falling rupee.
The AIMIM chief said, “Who is Mohan Bhagwat to allow Muslims to live in India or follow our religion? How dare they impose conditions on our citizenship? We are not here to accommodate our faith or to please the group of so-called celibates in Nagpur.
Congress leader Digvijay Singh replied in a different way. He said, ‘Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra is affecting not only BJP’s allies but also RSS. Who could have thought that there could be a day when an RSS chief would visit a madrasa or a mosque? RSS talks about Hindu Rashtra, which is against our constitution. On the other hand, BJP leaders take oath of the constitution after elections. This kind of duplicity is not good.”
Pointing out, Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh said, ‘BJP is surprised by the reaction of the people to Rahul Gandhi’s visit. Our country is known for unity in diversity and this yatra highlights this. If diversity is suppressed then unity will be in danger.
Jairam Ramesh said, “RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat met Muslim leaders, while Nitin Gadkari is now talking about unemployment and the poor. Swami Ramdev has praised Rahul Gandhi’s visit, and BJP chief JP Nadda Visited a dargah. It’s all because of the impact of Rahul’s visit.”
Samajwadi Party MP Shafiqur Rehman Barq said, ‘Muslims are neither afraid of Bhagwat nor the PM, they only fear Allah. Muslims are not number 2, they are number 1 and will remain so. BJP and RSS are only spreading hatred. Muslims have contributed a lot in saving India and driving out the British rulers. We are also citizens of our country, and we should be treated humanely. It was our Prophet who said, that I feel love for Hindustan, and therefore every Muslim will continue to love Hindustan. If any danger comes to our land then Muslims will be ready to sacrifice their lives.
Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut, whose party is now an ally of the Congress and the NCP, was the first to praise Mohan Bhagwat, saying, “He is our ‘margdarshak’ (guide), but BJP leaders should learn from him. Raut said, if If BJP leaders make Hindu-Muslim rhetoric, the country will break up.You cannot do long politics by taking advantage of fear among people.
Muslim Ulema welcomed Bhagwat’s statement. Maulana Yakub Abbas said, “The Muslims of India today do not associate themselves with the Mughal emperors”. Maulana Sufiyan Nizami said, “Muslims in India are neither living in fear nor fighting for supremacy.”
You must have noticed that different political leaders interpreted Mohan Bhagwat’s remarks differently, in a way that suited them. While Congress leaders claimed that it was because of the ‘success’ of Rahul Gandhi’s visit, Owaisi was saying that Bhagwat’s remarks are for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Sanjay Raut got a lesson from BJP from Bhagwat’s comment.
This is not the first time the RSS chief has spoken about Muslims. On September 19, 2018, Bhagwat had said, “The day we start saying that we do not need Muslims in India, Hindutva will cease to exist.” In April, 2019, Bhagwat said, Hindus and Muslims are like brothers, only their way of worship is different and there is no need to fear each other.
On July 5, 2021, Bhagwat said, ‘People involved in mob lynching cannot be real Hindus. On September 19, 2022, Bhagwat visited a mosque in Delhi. On October 5, 2022, Bhagwat spoke on the Gyanvapi Masjid controversy in Kashi and said, ‘It was not good to find Shivling everywhere and created controversy. This must stop.
There are many instances when Bhagwat made remarks about Muslims. At that time neither Rahul Gandhi was on his yatra nor was there any runup for the 2024 elections.
If we look at the statement of the RSS chief in totality, one thing will be clear. He didn’t talk about Muslims only. He also talked about Hindus and said that they should give up the mentality of being superior to others. I think Bhagwat’s comment has to be seen in this context.
Every citizen has equal rights in India. It does not matter who follows which religion. But in our daily life, we see politicians creating fear in the minds of people to garner votes. Some create fear in the minds of Hindus and some do the same with Muslims. Many religious leaders are also involved in this. The basic point is this: There is no need to be afraid and no need to create fear. There is no need to display ‘dominance’ by resorting to violence and ‘dadagiri’. If people start behaving properly, it will help us all.
Aaj Ki Baat: Monday to Friday, 9:00 PM
India’s number one and most followed super prime time news show ‘Aaj Ki Baat – Rajat Sharma Ke Saath’ was launched just before the 2014 general elections. Since its inception, the show has been redefining India’s super-prime time and is numerically way ahead of its contemporaries.
latest india news