RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s New York speech must have frustrated those who opposed the event and sought its cancellation. They have done a disservice to the idea of free speech, which mandates the expression of all kinds of views, including those that people may find repulsive. The protesters’ main grievance was the exclusionary and polarising ideology of Hindutva, which the RSS espouses and which, according to them, is not only alien to the great Hindu religion but also contrary to the liberal and secular ethos of the Constitution.
Bhagwat not only clarified his idea of Hindutva yet again, but also silenced the proponents of “one nation, one religion, one nation, one language, one nation, one law, etc.” by explicitly emphasising diversity as the defining feature of Indian civilisation. This sermon on diversity is at variance with the classical idea of Hindutva propagated by V D Savarkar. Of course, unlike its advocates today, Savarkar was absolutely clear that Hindutva had nothing to do with Hinduism and both were distinct philosophies.
Bhagwat’s words on August 29 at Madison Square Garden are not an abrupt change of heart. He has been making such positive statements for some time now. He has, at times, contradicted himself — for instance, his statement that Hindus had been at war with Muslims for over a thousand years, or that Muslims deliberately increase their population. Such statements have provided fodder to liberals to claim that the RSS has not changed and Bhagwat’s positive statements on diversity and Muslims are meant for optics. A few Muslim intellectuals who met him were criticised by this section, which is not yet ready to trust the RSS on its commitment to heterogeneity and inclusivity. Highly polarising statements bordering on hate speech by some Hindu right-wing groups and political leaders substantiate the thesis that there is no Hindutva perestroika, led by Bhagwat, in sight. Judicial decisions that have not found clearly provocative and threatening slogans to be problematic and a violation of hate-speech provisions enhance this distrust.
However, despite such distrust, it is important to look at the ramifications of Bhagwat’s statements. He remains the most authoritative voice for Hindutva.
In his speech, Bhagwat repeated a thought he has often articulated: “If a Hindu thinks that there should be no Muslim in Bharat, he will not remain Hindu. If you want to call yourself Hindu, you must believe that all paths are leading to the same goal and every human has dignity.” In another pleasant departure from the classic Hindutva position, Bhagwat asserted in an interview with a Hindi daily a few years ago that nowhere does the Constitution say that Hindus alone can live in India, or that only Hindus will have a say in this country, or that one has to accept the supremacy of Hindus to live in India.
Bhagwat deserves appreciation for repeatedly saying that Muslims are equal citizens of this country while Hindutva forces have historically made a distinction between “indigenous” and Abrahamic religions. By saying Hindus and Muslims have “the same DNA”, he has demolished the argument that Muslims are foreigners.
Elaborating the Indian idea of diversity, Bhagwat said, “We are one, and due to diversity, that oneness is decorated. Diversity is a decoration for our unity. It has to be accepted. It has to be respected. It has to be protected.” So far, we have been only talking of “tolerance” as the hallmark of our civilisation. Tolerance, though, is a negative idea. We may not like someone but still tolerate them. Bhagwat has now expanded diversity to acceptance, respect and protection. We need to accept people with their differences and distinctive identities.
Earlier, Bhagwat had reiterated that the talk of Hindu-Muslim unity itself is misleading “as they are not different, but one”.
The RSS chief also attacked the “othering” project of hatemongers when he said in New York that “where there is ‘me’ and ‘mine’, there is no solution. ‘We’ and ‘ours’ are the solution.” He informed the audience that since 2018, the RSS has been engaged in a dialogue with Muslims and Christians. Snubbing those who had celebrated the coming of the Modi government as the “accession of a Hindu ruler” after centuries, the RSS chief said, “We are in a democracy. There cannot be a dominance of Hindus or Muslims.” His message in New York on the oneness of humanity is thus consistent with his earlier statements.
On January 1, 2021, at the launch of J K Bajaj and M D Srinivas’s book titled Making of a Hindu Patriot: Background of Gandhiji’s Hind Swaraj, the RSS chief had gone against the narrow conception of nationalism otherwise found in Hindutva thought, in which territory is given outsize importance. He said that the “love for the country does not just mean land only, it means its people, rivers, culture, traditions”. On July 4, 2021, he acknowledged the fact that many Indian Muslims are living in fear due to the aggressive behaviour of Hindutva’s supporters. He urged Muslims not to get “trapped in the cycle of fear” that Islam is in danger in India. While such advice must be welcomed, liberals argue that the real problem today is that Hindutva foot soldiers have been convincing Hindus that they are in danger and Bhagwat has not made any statement to counter this myth.
Condemning mob lynching in the strongest words, Bhagwat had said that “these lynchings are against Hindutva”.
In today’s atmosphere of hate and othering, one hopes that the RSS chief will use his influence to restore sanity, tolerance and accommodation, which were the essential attributes of Hinduism. He alone can rein in aggressive Hindutva forces and convince them of the value of diversity and the remarkable contribution that Muslims have made to Indian civilisation.
The writer is vice-chancellor of Chanakya National Law University, Patna. Views are personal
RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat in New York on Sunday. (PTI) 
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