`PM and I share historical bonding with RSS, how can we delink?’

Hitting out at his detractors, Advani said there was no question of dissociating from the RSS. “Those who are making this demand,” he stressed, “should not forget the conditions that led to the birth of the BJP. The party was born after the erstwhile Janata Party asked its Jan Sangh members to stay away from the RSS. They said no and thus, BJP was formed.”

Advani’s strong defence of his RSS links comes at a time when he has been assiduously trying to erase his hawkish image and position himself as a moderate. The move to affirm his saffron roots at the cost of negating these efforts appears to have been prompted by two factors. One, he feels morally bound to defend an organisation in which he cut his ideological teeth. Two, he needs the full backing of the Sangh in the ongoing shadow battle within the BJP as well as the NDA for succession in a post-Vajpayee scenario.

Ironically, Advani’s owning of his RSS links came on a day when the BJP distanced itself from the Sangh’s views that there was need for Indianisation of churches and mosques, saying the party did not discriminate against anyone on the basis of caste, religion or creed.

The Home Minister, at a receiving end from some quarters ever since he attended the RSS’ Agra session, came out with two examples to buttress his case: “Our relations with the RSS is no different from Nehru’s with Mahatma Gandhi. Nehru never asked Gandhi to explain his stand on `brahmcharya’ (celibacy) and cow-slaughter. Similarly, Morarji Desai never questioned Jai Prakash Narain…We and RSS share a mutual respect. It’s the question not only of moral bond but of historical bond as well,” he stressed.

“RSS Chief K S Sudarshan has made this appeal and it is up to the minorities to accept or reject it. I don’t understand why the opposition parties should rush in with their caustic comments,” party vice President Jana Krishnamurthy told reporters here. The RSS chief has only expressed his organisation’s viewpoint and it’s up to the minorities to respond, he said, adding “it should be recalled that their forefathers were Hindus”.