RSS 100th anniversary: As the chief guest at the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh’s (RSS) 100th anniversary function in Nagpur, former President of India Ram Nath Kovind said Thursday that in 2001, Atal Bihari Vajpayee as Prime Minister had said that “we are Ambedkarwadi (Ambedkarite)”. “I want to mention a Dalit Sangam rally on the Red Fort premises in 2001. I was the president of the Scheduled Caste morcha of the BJP at that time and Atal Bihari Vajpayee was Prime Minister. Many people used to indulge in false propaganda that the Sangh Parivar and Atal ji were anti-Dalit. Atal ji said while addressing the rally that our government is there for the welfare of Dalits, OBCs and the poor,” Kovind said. “Hamari Sarkar Manu Smriti ke aadhaar par nahin balki Bhim Smriti ke aadhaar par kaam karegi. Bhim Smriti arthaat Bharat ka sanvidhan. Unhone ye bhi kahaa tha ki hum Bheemwaadi hain arthaat Ambedkarwaadi hain (Our government will function on the basis of Bhim Smriti rather than Manu Smriti. Bhim Smriti means the Indian constitution. He also said that we are Bhimwaadi, meaning Ambedkarite),” Kovind underlined, adding, “That speech of Atal ji had a historic role in removing the misgivings in this section of society that were a result of false propaganda against the Sangh. The Sangh has been a supporter of social unity and reform.” As the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh turned 100, the trademark Vijaydashmi function that features a chief guest and an address by the Sarsanghchalak, acquired a distinctive social justice tilt in Kovind’s address, reflecting the organisation’s response to caste emerging as the prime debate in national politics ever since the Congress began to demand a caste census and breaching of the cap on reservations. In the last Lok Sabha elections, the BJP had suffered serious reverses in Maharashtra, with many in the party saying that its slogan Abki baar 400 paar had been quietly misinterpreted on the ground by the Opposition, who claimed that they wanted a brute majority to “change the constitution”. The Modi government recently agreed to enumerate caste in the next census, which will happen soon. RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat also said in his recent public lectures in Delhi that reservation would stay till those who were historically discriminated against say that it is no longer needed. Kovind’s speech had multiple references to Ambedkar and other tall Dalit-Bahujan figures, and he showered praise on the RSS for having transcended all caste divisions. “Two doctors from Nagpur had a great influence on my life – Dr. Hedgewar and Dr. Ambedkar. Because of the social justice enshrined in Babasaheb’s constitution, a person from an ordinary social and economic background like me could reach the highest constitutional post. I got a lens to understand society and the nation from the ideas of Dr. Hedgewar. My inspiration for public service with a keen sense of national unity and (samajik samrasta) social reconciliation comes from there,” he said. Kovind went on, “I came in touch with the Sangh ideology and Swayamsevaks in the 1991 general election… (when I) became the BJP candidate from Ghatampur Lok Sabha seat in Kanpur. During the campaign I got a chance to meet and work with people from various sections of society. The ones whom I found the most forthcoming, committed and free from caste barriers were the Sangh office bearers and Swayamsevaks.” He added that even today, many people don’t know that there is no untouchability and caste discrimination within the Sangh. “I believe that the misgivings about the Sangh in various sections need to be removed,” he added. Kovind underlined that the fact that leaders from across caste and tribe – Valmiki, Eklavya, Sant Ravidas, Sant Kabir, Sant Tukaram, Bhagwan Birsa Munda, Mahatma Phule, Shri Narayan Guru, Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar, etc. – were mentioned in the Ekatmata Strotra (Song of National Unity) of the Sangh, which is evidence of its reach-all character – should be widely publicised, including using social media and digital technology. Each of these names happened to be of a Dalit-Bahujan or tribal icon. He cited Narayan Guru to say that an ideal society is that in which people lived like brothers free from discrimination based on caste and order. People should know that Swayamsevaks recall him every day, he added. Underlining that in discharging his duties in various positions, he had always given top priority to constitutional values, Kovind said that the ideas of Ambedkar had been his beacon in understanding these. “Babasaheb gave supreme importance to national unity in the constitution. The feeling of nationalism lies at the core of our constitution. My predecessor as President Pranab Mukherjee had said here constitutional patriotism is at the root of Indian nationalism. Dr Ambedkar also used to say that once the constitution is in place, each problem should be resolved within its framework. We should seek our national ideals within the constitution itself,” Kovind said. “In his speech to the Constituent Assembly on November 25, 1949, Babasaheb Ambedkar had expressed some concerns that the Sangh also had. He had said what is captured by the English proverb – United we stand, divided we fall. Divisions lead to decline. Dr. Hedgewar also said that foreigners benefited because we stood divided. The Sangh is a symbol of unity and organisation.” The proverb cited by Kovind was reminiscent of PM Modi’s slogan last year – Ek Hain To Safe Hain (we are safe if united) – thus tying the Sangh’s traditional idea of Hindu Sangathan with social justice. “Social equality and unity are the identity of the Sangh. It is trying to contest divisive tendencies through practices like ‘one temple, one well and one cremation ground’… Swayamsevaks are working in the fields of education, health and social awareness in the habitations of the poor,” Kovind asserted. Asserting that Mahatma Gandhi was also “very impressed” by the Sangh’s efforts at social unity and its transcending of caste divisions, he said that at a rally on September 16, 1947, in Delhi, Gandhi had recalled that he had visited the Sangh headquarters in the times of Hedgewar and was impressed by the complete absence of caste divisions there. He added that Ambedkar had also visited a Shakha in January 1940 in Karad of Satara in Maharashtra, and was equally impressed. He averred that Ambedkar had written in Kesari newspaper in Marathi that despite some differences, he saw the Sangh with a sense of intimacy.
