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Admitting that the RSS’s image could be “sullied” by the propaganda against it, Ram Madhav, member of the RSS central executive, confirmed to The Sunday Express that discussions are on within the top brass of the organisation on how to come up with a “coherent response” to the charges.
Excerpts from the interview:
There are allegations of direct involvement of some individuals affiliated to the RSS in acts of “Hindu terror.” Devendra Gupta, vibhag pracharak, was recently arrested; Lokesh Sharma, who is said to be his accomplice, also under arrest; the late Sunil Joshi; Ashok Beri and Ashok Varshney, both RSS office-bearers, have been accused of harbouring Gupta while he was on the run; and Sandeep Dange, still on the run, was a vibhag pracharak.
Of these, only Devendra Gupta was holding a position of responsibility in the RSS at the time of arrest in April 2010. He was vibhag pracharak. No other person who is accused has had any active role in the RSS either at the time of the arrest or when the alleged acts were committed.
Sunil Joshi and Lokesh Sharma had some RSS contact earlier. Joshi was zilla pracharak till 2003. He left the organisation for personal reasons; Sharma was in the organisation as a local karyakarta, not pracharak, for eight months in Deoghar in Jharkhand in 2004. He also left of his own accord. Dange was in the RSS, he also left the organisation on his own in 2006.
Beri and Varshney were only called in for the purpose of seeking information. They are not accused of any terror acts. A pracharak approached them for help, and they helped him not knowing what had transpired earlier. The CBI says Gupta stayed with them. We didn’t know and they didn’t know that Gupta was being chased. Had they known, they would have responded appropriately.
Our position is clear. If there is an investigation, we will cooperate, and the person should step down from his position in the organisation, clear his name and only then come back.
That’s why when Beri and Varshney were contacted by the CBI, they consulted the organisation and the organisation advised them to go and give the information. But there were no charges against them and no interrogation, only information was sought.
Senior RSS leader Indresh Kumar’s name has come up. It has been reported that he was present in the tapes aired as part of a sting operation, in which there is terror talk.
Indresh Kumar was not present in those tapes. There is no talk of the RSS. The only person with a parivar link present in the meeting was BL Sharma ‘Prem’ of the BJP. The meeting was held under the banner of “Abhinav Bharat.” We take strong objection to anyone saying that it is an RSS conspiracy.
There is a person in the tape who claims he carried kerosene to a programme at which the vice-president was present. He is a doctor in Apollo hospital but he has still not been arrested. Why? On the contrary, Indresh Kumar who wasn’t even present is being projected as a mastermind.
What is the RSS’s relationship with radical Hindu organisations like the Sanatan Sanstha in Goa and Abhinav Bharat?
The Sanatan Sanstha is a large organisation in Goa. It has no links with the RSS. It’s an independent spiritual organisation headed by a very respected religious guru Sri Athawaleji. Its name did come up in the NIA’s investigation into the blasts in Goa. We have no contact with the body. Abhinav Bharat is a mystery. We don’t know what it is, who created it, for what purpose. It suddenly came up in 2004-05. In its active members, was an Armyman, Lt Col Shrikant Purohit.
What about Sadhvi Pragya Thakur, arrested for the Malegaon blasts? She was a leading light of the ABVP in Madhya Pradesh.
Pragya’s involvement in Abhinav Bharat comes much later in 2006. But mainly, it was Purohit and Dayanand Pandey. Who are they? We don’t know. But we know that Purohit was in the army. Pragya was in the ABVP, and then became a sanyasin. The only accusation against her is that her motorcycle, which she says she sold to Sunil Joshi, was used in the blast.
But a few days ago the Bombay High Court restored the charges under Maharashtra’s tough anti-terror law, Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA), against her.
The MCOCA court had set aside the invocation of the MCOCA in this case, but the High Court insisted that MCOCA charges remain. That judgement will be challenged. The accused will go to the higher court, the supreme court.
Is the RSS extending legal or other help to the accused in Malegaon or elsewhere?
The accused have lawyers in different places. Devendra Gupta and Lokesh Sharma are fighting the case in Ajmer and Hyderabad. Every accused has the right to legal support. They are getting help from family and well wishers.
But is the RSS involved in that?
The RSS believes that they have a right to proper legal support. But they have themselves made the arrangements, so the situation (of the RSS helping out) does not arise.
There were reports earlier this month of a purge of sorts in the RSS after the controversy. Is there any “rectification” drive?
There is no purge. No one has been removed. We have only relieved Devendra Gupta of his responsibilities.
Some incidents that have happened in 2007-2008 have been attributed to a group of people some of whom have had previous RSS links. Where is the question of rectification and reform? The general secretary of RSS has made it clear: RSS neither supports nor protects people perpetrating such acts...I completely deny this argument that merely because a particular individual is found to be involved in an act, his ideology is to blame.
Yet is the RSS worried about these charges?
We’re not worried for the simple reason that in the history of 85 years, the RSS has seen this kind of vendetta time and again. At the same time, we are conscious of the fact that such propaganda can lead to the RSS image being sullied. We would certainly like to make things clear.
How?
Those who know the RSS closely don’t believe in this propaganda. Those who don’t have proximity to the organisation may get carried away. But I hope the media will do its job without bias. We will place the facts as we know them before the people through our own means.
Have their been internal consultations on how to deal with this challenge — of propaganda, as you put it?
Naturally, when such a vindictive propaganda is unleashed against an organisation like the RSS — which has always stood for national interest — we put our heads together on how to negate this propaganda. How can we keep quiet?
Do the consultations extend to the top of the RSS?
Naturally.
Do they include the BJP?
No, not on these issues.
Can you give a sense of the strategy, the time frame?
When there is a method in the madness to defame the organisation, there needs to be a coherent response. You can call it strategy, or whatever. We will use all democratic options available to an open organisation like the RSS to counter the vendetta. In a democracy, the only option is to go to the people and tell them facts. We will let you know the plan once things get to that stage.
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Some of my friends supported the activity of Abhinav Bharath, which is against the actual terrorists. Terror is the solution for terrorism, (Like film Wednesday).The UPA is not giving support to the people of India. It only helps the followers of foriegn religions. Thier percentage is increasing very rapidly, wherever they become majority they support in anti national activities and ask for separate country (like Kashmir & North eastern states). There is no safety & security to the own people of land. Infact the work done by Abhinav Bharath should be done by our police & Military to control the terrorists & terror supporters.
congress can not get away with whatever it wants to just because it is in power....it needs terror as an ans....tit for tat you see
congress can not get away with whatever it wants to just because it is in power....it needs terror as an ans....tit for tat you see
RSS is an organization which works for the welfare of India and Indians.It is very unfortunate that these pseudo secularists accuse it of terrorism just for political gains.No so called secularists are worried about islamic terrorism which kills hundreds daily throughout the world.They are only interested in going after so called `Hindu terrorism` which doesn`t exist.
The UPA govt is utter failure in price control, foreign policy and in internal security. Corruption is everywhere even in conducting CWG. Congress leaders know nothing but to praise the "Lord"- Rahul_. Now they are trying to insult nationalism by a clear vendetta and for which a section of media and as always leftists will support. But it will be good such a suicidal move by Congress as the nationalists will awake and the nation will get benefited.
Rammadhava , the most visible face of the RSS deserves our gratitute for his fiorthright admission that RSS g=has been involved in the acts of terror. only grace he has given is most of people accused not hold important position at the time of arrest. does the RSS publish list of local office bearers ? then how can we believe that RSS is not shielding them or itself? RSS speaks in different voices. as Organiser and Panchajanya , mouthpieces of Sangh, outrightly deny the involvement of sangh; who is right these mouthpieces or Rammadhava? otherday i watched RSS ideologue Rakesh Sinha claiming RSS no hand in such acts...where is coherence? By outrightly denying these people are doing great diservice to Hindu society and institution as well as process of law and order.
English media in India is doing an extreme disservice not only to India as a nation but to its reputation itself by labelling unsubstantiated charges against RSS. Just because investigating agencies (whose impartiality itself is a big question mark) are investigating someone, that person does not becomes an accused. The most important question is - even if a member of the RSS does something unlawful, how does it make RSS culprit unless you can prove that RSS has instructed that person to do it. Can you held congress responsible for the henious crimes done by its member just like Jessica Lal murder case or Tandoor burning case. I know any amount of logic would not be heard by the biased English media in India because it has an agenda to weaken the nationalistic forces in India for which they are probably paid for by Sonia's unaccounted money lying in foreign banks.
Who will think India and Indians first? Politicians? These wretched wicked fellows are there only to make money. If can, they will sell off the country as whole to foreigners in return for money. These professional politicians will say only bad things about RSS, for with out them there is no one who can counter tham and safeguard the nation. Vande matharam.
the news is not complete.RSS is involved as an Organization in all the terror attacks. Why did RSS not condemned the killings? So simple, it was involved.
They have honesty to repent so but in other terrorist affiliated it is lacking. They need not do so for the apex governance will take care of
Rammadhav's interview categorically indicates RSS involvement in terror! He must have spoken with the consent of top brass. Does it not mean that some Big people are involved? Rammadhav categorically says if any office bearer found guilty he would be asked to step down. a clear signal that office bearers are uilty and he is alerting or preempting things in advance.
A foolish remark by Rammadhav. he is breaking the tradition of the RSS. He himself is guilty of many things. he behaves like a youth congress leader. Most of the workers hate him and his life style which is unlike for RSS pracharak. what new things he revealed except legitimising the propaganda on so called "HIndu Terror".
Know nothing about the RSS. But have heard mouthful of appreciation and indebtedness of RSS from those Hindus who were displaced due to the partition for extending to them all kinds of help and protection. But for their help thousands and thousands of more Hindus would have been butchered. The Organization is also understood to have been doing social service during national emergencies. It has been banned a number of times in the past merely because our democratic system lacks character and honesty. Some existing or former member of this organization may be involved in some anti-national activities. But this does not justify to label the organization as anti-national. If a member of a family becomes a terrorist, does the government declare the whole family as terrorists?
He is right hinduism doest and never allows such attacks on innocents. I used to go to the sakas of the RSS I was never taught any violence but the hindu ways of life. This is a very visious attempt to compare and to make us to look like the Talibans alcaida so as to ligitimite their acts against us. I F U R A HINDU AND HAVE BEEN CONVERTED BY THESE OVER EXAGARATED ACTS BY ONE OR TWO CROCKES IN DISGUESS OF THE RSS THINK TWICE BEFORE U JUDGE THE WHOLE RSS
Its a media trial going on for Muslim Votebank by Congress and a section of media. End of the day, people are going to loose faith on media and political parties. It also proves Congress not confident of playing development politics, or Rahul Gandhi's charisma. If that were the case, they would not have started using the media like this.
Ill titled article by same author who reported Ayodhya and Ram temple a fortnight ago. My opinion about author is as predictive as any day;s sun rise. This has much to do with the type of media i.e. english media and thus all columnists are bound to be made of garbage views about nationalism. The them their hefty bank balances and glitter is important.No wonder a PadmaShree can divert a jornalist's attention, because they see theie Editor in Chief as one oppurtunist so why cant they be one day like him. Lets see if IE publishes it un censored?
Hindutva gets identified as Brahmanism. Though followers / people would not like to admit it. Its view should be broadened to include all communities of Hindus, in a genuine way. When it comes to contributions everybody is welcome. However, when it comes to decision making / puja etc other community people are sidelined. Obviouly the group cannot grow further - on the other hand it could shrink. Better wake up & change the attitudes genuinely.