When Rajya Sabha MP Digvijaya Singh shoots from the lip, it is a given that he will ruffle few feathers, if not more. At the book launch of 'Ascetic Games: Sadhus, Akharas and the Making of the Hindu Vote’, by veteran journalist-cum-author, Dhirendra K. Jha at IIC on Monday, the Congress war horse did fire some salvos about Babri Masjid, the RSS and the complex relationship between politics and religion.
Singh was in conversation with the author in an interesting session of deep political conversations and light humour moderated by Hartosh Singh Bal, political editor of a prominent long-form magazine, the takeaway of which was that Naga sadhus now hold considerable influence in politics, cutting across party lines, and the alignment with Congress and BJP is a reality.
The book is an investigative, in-depth account of the highly secretive world of the Naga Sadhus, their connection with the RSS. Jha has spent a decade, making inroads into their lives, putting exceptional focus on the political aspects of these ascetics’ life. As The discussion on the book which deep-dived into the symbiosis between RSS and the Naga Sadhu moved towards the burning topic of Babri-Masjid-Ram Janmabhoomi, the Parliamentarian was faced with questions on the power game at play during the Babri Masjid demolition. Singh responded strongly, “We could have taken preventive steps to stop the Babri Masjid demolition. I personally feel guilty of what happened at Babri Masjid. The Congress could have prevented it.”
Talking about the RSS, he remarked, “I appreciate the RSS for being consistent in their objective of Hindu Rashtra. From the book Dhirendra has written, Hanuman Gari is a very interesting example of the Sadhus of the day and in that context, I firmly believe on three things that are important for religion as said by Swami Vivekananda; ethos and essence, myth and mythology and rituals.”
Meanwhile, talking about the concept and thought behind coming up with this book in current political scenario, Jha said it was initially an attempt to understand the secretive world of the sadhus, their prejudices, motivations, and the world of akharas. “But as I progressed with my research, I encountered a very formulative layer of RSS inside this world. I found that so many pracharaks and RSS Swayamsewaks turned sadhus, were occupying critical political positions in different monastic establishments, and they were actually taking decisions,” he said. Delving into this complex structure, he said, “RSS has a way of operating into political spheres. But we do not know how it operates in the religious sphere and it is so important to understand. Once it became clear, my focus changed to discovering the nexus between RSS, sadhus and monastic establishments,” he added.
Jha also shared how it was not an easy job to penetrate into their world, which is a no-go area for mortals. He even joked about how he had started to like some of them, and how some of them were more efficient at politics than actual politicians. Towards the end of the conversation, Bal asked Jha that with the Babri case up for hearing IN the Supreme Court on Tuesday, what does he think would be the outcome. “If the court follows law and evidence, it is pretty obvious how Babri Masjid will pan out. But so long as believers have been sidelined and those who are playing politics, are at its centre-stage, there won’t be any solution,” he answered.