Hedgewar celebrated Nehru’s Lahore declaration, went to jail for freedom: Hosabale

“Dr Hedgewar was very clear about the freedom struggle. In 1920, there was a conference of the Congress. He was part of the reception committee of the conference then. At that time, a group named Nationalist Union was formed. It put forth two resolutions on behalf of the conference’s reception committee. It was proposed that Congress must declare purna swaraj (complete independence). The second resolution stated that India must establish democracy and free the world from the chains of capitalism. He (Hedgewar) had a global vision that India’s freedom is not merely the liberation of its people but something more,” Hosabale said.

The declaration of Purna Swaraj was passed by the Congress in 1930. On December 31, 1929, Nehru hoisted the Indian flag on the banks of the Ravi river in Lahore and asked the people of India to observe January 26 as Independence Day. Hedgewar, who was once a part of the Congress, had quit it by then and floated the RSS in 1925.

Talking about the Lahore declaration, Hosabale said, “When during the Lahore Congress, Nehru-ji proposed purna swaraj resolution, Dr Hedgewar said that January 26 should be celebrated with pomp and gaiety by all Sangh shakhas. He sent letters across the country asking for resolutions to be passed on this, greeting the Congress. Such programmes were then held in all the shakhas.”

“For the country’s freedom, he (Hedgewar) went to jail twice, in 1921 and 1931. He participated in various aspects of the freedom struggle. He believed that without awakening the inherent strength and belief of the countrymen, national glory cannot be achieved,” Hosabale said.

Hosabale also said that the “freedom struggle saw Indians pulling down each other and so the RSS focused on character building”.

“Society is built by organising it, so organisation is necessary. And the organisation is built by people, so character building is important. It is two sides of the same coin. How would people become patriotic and honest? Through the learnings they receive at home, in school, through the environment in society and through the leadership of the religious and political class. But did it happen that way? Why were people pulling down each other in the freedom struggle? There were people in India who snitched on revolutionaries to the British to save themselves,” he said.

“For the new country, you must sacrifice everything. The nation’s glory must remain supreme, whether we remain alive or not. Without this commitment, a society cannot reach its glory. Dr Hedgewar, despite participating in the freedom struggle as joint general secretary of the Nagpur Congress, understood the importance of this fundamental idea and dedicated his life to it,” Hosabale said.

He said Hedgewar had identified three problems in Indian society. “We have lost our self-respect as a nation. We are unable to give up our selfishness. We are unable to walk together focusing on our differences,” he said, adding that Hedgewar dedicated his life to correcting this.