Indian Muslims most content in world, Constitution ensures space for all: RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat

NEW DELHI: Asserting that people from all faiths have stood together whenever it has been about the essence of India, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat said that Indian Muslims are the most content in the world. 

He added that all kinds of bigotry and separatism are spread only by those whose self-interest gets affected.

Citing that many Muslims fought in Mewar king Maharana Pratap's army against Mughal emperor Akbar, Bhagwat suggested that in India's history people from all faiths stood together whenever there was an attack on the country's culture. "Most content Muslims are only in India," Bhagwat said and wondered if there is any example world over wherein a foreign religion that ruled over the people of a country still exists there.

"Nowhere. It is only in India," he said in an interview to a Hindi magazine based in Maharashtra.

Unlike India, Pakistan did not give rights to followers of other religions and it was created as a separate country for Muslims. "Our Constitution did not say that only Hindus can stay here; hereafter only Hindus will be heard here; if you want to stay here, then you have to accept the superiority of Hindus. We created a space for them. This is the nature of our nation, and that inherent nature is called Hindu," he said.

Elaborating his views, the head of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the ideological mentor of the ruling BJP, said Hindu has nothing to do with whom does one worship. Religion should be connecting, uplifting, uniting everyone in one single thread.

"Whenever the devotion for India and its culture awakens and feeling of pride arises for the ancestors, the distinctions between all religions disappear and people from all faiths stand together," Bhagwat said.

Talking about the Ram temple in Ayodhya, Bhagwat said it is not meant for mere ritualistic purpose, the temple is a symbol of national values and character.

"The reality is that temples were destructed to crush the morale and values of the people of this country. That is why Hindu society from a long wished to reconstruct the temples. Our life was corrupted, and we were humiliated by destructing the temple of our ideal Shri Ram. We want to rebuild it, enhance it and therefore, this grand temple is being constructed," he said.

The 'bhoomi pujan' ceremony for the Ram temple in Ayodhya was performed in August, after the Supreme Court's verdict in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid title suit paved the way for its construction.