CHANDIGARH: The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) on Tuesday said it had no outreach programme for Muslim intellectuals but was ready to meet if the initiative came from the other side.
Talking to the media after the three-day meeting of the Akhil Bharatiya Partinidhi Sabha, the apex decision-making body of the RSS at Samalkha near Panipat, its general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale said, "RSS leaders are meeting Muslim intellectuals and their spiritual leaders on their invitation. The initiative is from that side; there is no outreach from the Sangh."
Last year, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat had met former Rajya Sabha MP Shahid Siddiqui, former election commissioner S Y Quraishi, Lt Gen (Retd) Zameer Uddin and former Delhi Lt Governor Najeeb Jung. In January this year, RSS leader Krishna Gopal had met a few Muslim leaders.
In September last year, Bhagwat had also visited a mosque and a madrassa in Delhi and held discussions with the All India Muslim Imam Organisation (AIIO) leaders - which was seen as part of Sangh's outreach to the minority community.
Asked to comment on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s criticism of the RSS, Hosabale said, "As a prominent leader of the opposition, he should speak more responsibly and see the reality... He may have his own political agenda."
Responding to questions on Gandhi's remarks in the UK, the RSS leader claimed, "Those who converted India into a jail have no right to comment on democracy in the country."
"Thousands of people including me were put behind the bars during Emergency. They (Congress) are yet to apologise for this. The country will ask them if they have a moral right to talk about democracy," he said.
Speaking in the UK recently, Gandhi had alleged that the structures of Indian democracy are under "brutal attack" and BJP and RSS have captured almost all institutions. He has often accused the Sangh of fanning hate and creating divisions in society.
On the question of same-sex marriage, Hosabale said the Sangh is on the same page as the Centre, adding marriage can take place only between two persons from opposite genders.
"Marriages can take place between two opposite genders. In Hindu life marriage is 'Sanskar', it isn't for enjoyment, neither it is a contract. Living together is different, but what is called marriage is a 'sanskar' in Hindu life for thousands of years, which means that two individuals get married and live together not only for themselves but for the family and for the social good. Marriage is neither for sexual enjoyment nor a contract," he said.
The Centre has recently opposed in the Supreme Court a batch of pleas seeking legal validation of same-sex marriage, saying it would cause complete havoc with the delicate balance of personal laws and accepted societal values.
In an affidavit before the Supreme Court, the government submitted that despite the decriminalisation of Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, the petitioners cannot claim a fundamental right for same-sex marriage to be recognised under the laws of the country.
(With inputs from PTI)