Page 36 - English Tehelka Issue 12 - June 30, 2018

RSS

has denied the possibility of his return- forms of violence — physical and ver- Regional allies are also feeling uneasy.
ing to politics. bal, besides putting compassion, har- Results of Uttar Pradesh bypolls have
According to experts, he did nothing mony and non-violence at the centre proved beyond doubt that if a united
wrong by accepting an invitation from stage of our public life.” opposition challenges BJP, it cannot
a cultural organisation. However, the However, the official appreciation by win. The party requires an immediate
argument does not seem to hold water the Congress was challenged by other image makeover. The RSS and the BJP,
as it ignores the fact that the RSS now leaders of the party. both have realised that only a soft face
controls the biggest political party of Senior Congress leader and former can again bring them in to power.
the country, the Bhartiya Janata Party minister Manish Tiwari asked the for- Mukherjee has only helped RSS in
and it has always been standing behind mer president: “You were a part of the its attempt. Though Congress chose to
the party in every election. It is also no government that banned the RSS in ignore the finer points of the speech
secret that the organisation has been 1975 and then again in 1992. Don’t you at Nagpur, the speech by no means
interfering in policy decisions as well. think you should tell us what was evil was embarrassing for the organisa-
It would be only naïve to consider this about the RSS then that has become tion. Mukherjee’s narration of ancient
organisation as an apolitical and cul- virtuous now? Either what we were history was in tune with that of the
tural one. told then was wrong or your lending RSS. He referred to glory brought to the
One can easily assume that Mukher- respectability if not legitimacy to the nation by Chandragupta Maurya,
jee’s visit may have some serious po- Asoka, Kautilya and Guptas. He referred
Pranab at RSS headquarters, litical implications in future keeping to medieval rulers as Muslim invaders
and took all the precaution not to refer
in view the capacity of the RSS in ma-
an exercise in image makeover noeuvring the politics. Mukherjee has “Any attempt Akbar as the great ruler. He was also
cautious not to talk about incidents
been also equally adept in such things
to define our
of attacks on freedom of speech. Plu-
and one should not forget that he had
performed the role of a trouble-suiter nation through ralism, secularism and tolerance are
for the Congress in its difficult times. the words which are regularly quot-
Apart from being a shrewd politician, religion, dogma ed by the RSS and the BJP. RSS Chief
he has been a favourite of the corporate or intolerance Mohan Bhagwat also spoke of plu -
The former president went to the RSS function at a time when • Image building: Was the visit a ploy for an all through his political careers. will only fade our ralism and inclusiveness in his own
He made a speech which prompted
way. He also claimed that his organisa-
image makeover or to establish secular
Rahul Gandhi and the Opposition are engaged in a fierce credentials? the Congress party to change its stand existence,” said tion works for whole of the society. He
battle with the RSS-BJP combine. What significance his visit holds that it had taken prior to his visit to Mukherjee in his also said that idea of pluralism should
be respected.
for his home state West Bengal and country at large, is still a followed the period when he was Nagpur. The party picked up some The most important thing Mukher-
thread from his speech which was in
question, analysis anil sinha at the Rashtrapati Bhavan and I consonance with the stated objectives speech jee did in endorsing the RSS by writing
found to my horror that it was a of the party and endorsed Mukherjee’s a rosy tribute to Hedgewar, the found-
rule which had a negative impact,” speech. It was virtually an admission to er of RSS. He wrote in the RSS book
ndia witnessed an event which tion of an experienced and shrewd he wrote. He has also said that the fact that the earlier apprehensions RSS by the act of association is not ko- that Hedgewar was a “great son of
will be remembered for long. politician like Mukherjee behind Mukherjee had the ambition of be- of the party were wrong. sher given your stature in public life.’’ mother India”. The man who has been
Former President Pranab such a move. People, particularly those coming Prime minister, but Sonia “Any attempt to define our nation He said that the visit would be used to criticised for his pro-Hindu stance for
Mukherjee who has been a hard- who are involved in confronting RSS Gandhi’s determination that Rahul through religion, dogma or intoler- “mainstream” the outfit. The social me- all these years gets such an endorse-
I core Congressman for five dec- became anxious about the possible Gandhi should get the post came in the ance will only fade our existence,” said dia was soon flooded with morphed ment from a person of Mukherjee’s
ades went to the RSS headquarters political consequences of the event. way. Mukherjee decided not to contest Mukherjee in his speech. photos of the former president salut- stature. This is a long-term benefit he
at Nagpur to attend one of the most Though it is really difficult to know the elections. “We accept and respect our plural- ing the saffron flag to support his view has done to the RSS.
important functions of the Hindutva his real motive, it can easily be assumed Shiv Sena spokesperson Sanjay ism and celebrate our diversity. Our and a similar apprehension of Pranab’s The current political scenario should
outfit, on the occasion that marks the that he must have gone with some Raut has given credence to the politi- national identity has emerged from a daughter. also not be overlooked. The former
completion of three years training pro- political purpose as he is known for cal gossip of Pranab’s attempt to realise long drawn process of confluence and The current political scenario cer- president went to the RSS function
gram. The graduates, after completing his political manoeuvrings. In a recent his lost dream. He has said that he assimilation, the multiple cultures and tainly gives some insight in to what’s at a time when Rahul Gandhi and the
this coursework of the RSS are aimed article, eminent journalist Kuldip Nayar may be projected as the consensus faiths make us special and tolerant,” he going on in the RSS. The BJP has lost Opposition are engaged in a fierce bat-
at creating a Hindu Rashtra. Obviously, recalled how Mukherjee was associated candidate for the post of Prime Min- told the cadres who were just ready to most of the Lok Sabha bypolls since tle with the RSS-BJP combine. He has
the appearance of a man of his stature with Sanjay Gandhi, an extra-consti- ister in a situation where BJP fails carry out the agenda of Rashtriya Sway- 2014. If it has won some states it had to also damaged the political prospects of
at headquarters of the RSS came as a tutional authority in Indira Gandhi’s to get a majority in 2019 polls. He amsevak Sangh. struggle hard to make favourable so- Mamata Banerjee in West Bengal, his
surprise to most of the people in the rule and he carried out his orders said that RSS might project him as Congress party spokesperson Ran- cial equations. A few states have come home state where the TMC and the RSS
country. during an emergency. Nayar consid- the head of a national government. deep Surjewala said, “He particularly under its control only after manipula- are fighting a ferocious battle.
The question that baffles most of ers his years in the presidency as an However, his daughter and Congress highlighted the imperative need of tions. The percentage of votes has gone
the people is what could be the inten- “insult to the democratic nation”. “I have politician Sharmishtha Mukherjee freeing the public discourse from all down significantly compared to 2014. letters@tehelka.com

tehelka / 30 june 2018 36 www.tehelka.com Tehelka / 30 june 2018 37 www.Tehelka.com

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