'Muslims, Christians can join RSS if...': Mohan Bhagwat
What's the story
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat has said that people of all religions, including Muslims and Christians, are welcome to join the organization. However, they must do so as members of a unified Hindu society. Bhagwat made these remarks during an in-house question-and-answer session organized by the RSS. He said, "No Brahmin is allowed in Sangha. No other caste is allowed in Sangha. No Muslim is allowed, no Christian is allowed in the Sangha... Only Hindus are allowed."
Membership clarification
Come as son of Bharat Mata, says Bhagwat
Bhagwat added that they are welcome to join as long as they come as "as sons of Bharat Mata." "So people with different denominations, Muslims, Christians, any denomination, can come to the Sangha but keep your separateness out. Your speciality is welcome. But when you come inside Shakha, you come as a son of Bharat Mata, a member of this Hindu society," he said.
Criticism addressed
RSS not required to register after independence: Bhagwat
At the event, Bhagwat also took on Congress leaders who had questioned the RSS's registration and funding sources. He said that the organization was established in 1925 and was not required to register with the British government. After Independence, he said, registration was not mandatory. "We are a recognized organization," he said the Income Tax department and courts have recognized RSS as a "body of individuals," exempt from income tax.
Political neutrality
We don't support any political party, says RSS chief
Further, Bhagwat said that the RSS does not support any political party but backs policies in the national interest. He reiterated that the organization does not participate in vote politics or current politics. "Sangh's work is uniting the society, and politics, by nature, is divisive, so we keep out," he said. On allegations of disrespecting the national flag, Bhagwat clarified that saffron is treated as a Guru in RSS tradition and holds symbolic importance.
Social commentary
Caste confusion and love jihad
On social issues, Bhagwat said casteism doesn't exist anymore, but "caste confusion" does due to electoral politics. "There is no need to eradicate caste; there is a need to forget caste," he said. On love jihad, he urged people not to focus too much on others' actions but to strengthen "Hindu samskara" within their homes.