NAGPUR/MUMBAI: In his annual Dasara address to the RSS faithful, sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat turned the debate on cow vigilantism on its head and said it is those who are crying foul over it who are stoking religious passions.
Addressing the RSS Vijaya Dashami Utsav in Nagpur, he said, “There is a nefarious campaign going on against cow protection. It’s unnecessarily creating tension among people of different religions. Cow protectors who are piously involved in the activity should not worry about the well-intentioned statements by highly placed persons in the government or remarks made by the Supreme Court. Vested interests are misinterpreting these statements to influence public opinion.”
Bhagwat did not say who those highly placed individuals in the government who are making well-intentioned cautionary statements are.
The RSS chief’s hour-long speech cut a wide arc over several issues of the day, ranging from the Rohingya refugees, nationalism, Kashmir, terrorism and even organic farming.
Bhagwat said the word ‘vigilantism’ was being twisted in the debate over cow protection. “Rearing of cows is important, especially for the small farmer. Protecting cows and cow-based agriculture is directed by the Constitution,” he said.
He added that many Muslims have sacrificed their life for gau raksha just as Bajrang Dal activists have.
Bhagwat lauded the efforts of the government to counter terrorism and improve internal security. Referring to the issue of Rohingyas in this regard, he said, “The nation is already facing the problem of illegal Bangladeshi migrants and now Rohingyas are infiltrating into India. They are being driven out of Myanmar mainly due to their continuous violent and criminal separatist activities and linkages with terrorist groups. We must keep in mind that they will definitely be a threat to national security and integrity.”
In line with the RSS new tactics of concentrating on Kerala and West Bengal, he said the state governments and “their systematically politicised administrative systems are not only apathetic to a serious national crisis but are also lending a helping hand to anti-national forces.”
Bhagwat added that jihadi forces were active in Kerala and West Bengal and the state governments in both states were not fulfilling their national duties.
Bhagwat’s solution for the Kashmiri problem was what he called the “human touch” or specifically the reach of health and education services to Kashmiris. “The government should make more efforts to integrate Kashmiris with India," he said.
When it came to the present economic downturn, over which the Narendra Modi government is being raked over the coals, the RSS boss said all policies and standards needed rethinking and unique models of development need to be developed. He agreed that jobs were a priority for the NDA government.