'Muslims have nothing to fear in India, but they must...': RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat said India has been undivided (akhand) from the earliest times of recorded history, but was divided whenever the core Hindu sense was forgotten.

New Delhi: Muslims have nothing to fear in India, but they must abandon their "boisterous rhetoric of supremacy", Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat has said. In an interview with Organiser and Panchjanya, Bhagwat also spoke in support of the LGBT community, saying that they too should have their own private space and the Sangh will have to promote this view.

"People with such proclivities have always been there; for as long as humans have existed... This is biological, a mode of life. We want them to have their own private space and to feel that they, too, are a part of society. This is such a simple issue. We will have to promote this view because all other ways of resolving it will be futile," he said.

Bhagwat said the new-found aggression among Hindus the world over was due to an awakening in the society that has been at war for over 1,000 years.

"You see, Hindu society has been at war for over 1,000 years, this fight has been going on against foreign aggressions, foreign influences and foreign conspiracies. Sangh has offered its support to this cause, so have others.

"There are many who have spoken about it. And it is because of all these that the Hindu society has awakened. It is but natural for those at war to be aggressive," Bhagwat said.

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief said India has been undivided (akhand) from the earliest times of recorded history, but was divided whenever the core Hindu sense was forgotten.

"Hindu is our identity, our nationality, our civilisational trait, a trait that considers everyone as ours; that takes everyone along. We never say, mine is only true and yours is false. You are right at your place, I am right at mine; why to fight, let us move together -- this is Hindutva," Bhagwat said.

"The simple truth is this -- Hindusthan should remain Hindusthan. There is no harm to the Muslims living today in Bharat... Islam has nothing to fear. But at the same time, Muslims must abandon their boisterous rhetoric of supremacy. We are of an exalted race; we once ruled over this land, and shall rule it again; only our path is right, rest everyone is wrong; we are different, therefore we will continue to be so; we cannot live together -- they (Muslims) must abandon this narrative. In fact, all those who live here -- whether a Hindu or a communist -- must give up this logic," he said.

On the RSS' engagement with political issues despite being a cultural organisation, Bhagwat said the Sangh has consciously kept itself away from day-to-day politics but always engaged with politics that affect "our national policies, national interest and Hindu interest".

"The only difference is, earlier our Swayamsevaks were not in positions of political power. This is the only addition in the present situation. But people forget that it is the Swayamsevaks who have reached certain political positions through a political party. Sangh continues to organise the society for the organisation's sake," he said

"However, whatever Swayamsevaks do in politics, Sangh is held accountable for the same. Even if we are not implicated directly by others, there is certainly some accountability as ultimately it is in the Sangh where Swayamsevaks are trained. Therefore, we are forced to think -- what should be our relationship, which things we should pursue (in the national interest) with due diligence," he said.

Bhagwat recalled that the Sangh was earlier seen with contempt, but those days were now over.

"The thorns we encountered earlier on the road have changed their character. In the past, we had to brave the thorns of opposition and contempt. Those we could avoid. And at times we have avoided them too. But the new-found acceptance has brought us resources, convenience and abundance," he said.

Bhagwat said under the new circumstances, popularity and resources have become thorns that the Sangh should brave.

"If today we have means and resources, they should be seen as no more than instruments essential for our work; we should control them, they should not control us. We should not be accustomed to them. Our old habits of facing hardships must never die. Times are favourable, but that should not lead to vanity," Bhagwat said.