NEW DELHI: In an attempt to study caste-based discrimination across the country, the RSS has initiated a nationwide survey on societal attitudes, which would help to provide an insight into the cultural segregation of the oppressed classes.
The Sangh, which aims at the ‘homogenisation’ of Hindu society, has asked its workers to carry out programmes that encourage upper caste Hindus to allow the integration of Dalits into mainstream society, a move aimed at deterring marginal sections of Hindu society from embracing other religions.
And in this regard, the RSS has decided to commemorate Dalit icon B R Ambedkar’s anniversary on a grand scale. During its annual meeting in March, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat had called for initiatives to provide common access to temples, drinking water and crematoriums to all communities, especially in caste-ridden villages.
The organisation’s cadre have been asked to conduct surveys across all districts before the initiatives are undertaken. Sangh sources say the survey is under way in several states and questionnaires for certain regions are being prepared on the basis of local situations and needs. “Every state will have a different prevailing situation, so we have asked the local leadership to prepare their surveys,” a senior RSS functionary told Express.
“The idea behind the survey germinated after Bhagwat’s Vijay Dashmi address two years back. Some states like Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka carried out local surveys to find a solution to caste discrimination after Bhagwat’s speech in Nagpur in March, in which he asked the Sangh to work towards ending discrimination,” the RSS leader said.