The Hindu : National / Elections 2004 : Q & A: Ram Madhav

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Apr 14, 2004

National

National - Elections 2004

Q & A: Ram Madhav

'BJP committed to RSS ideology'

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh's national spokesman, Ram Madhav, belongs to the younger generation of swayamsevaks who can hold forth on not only the Sangh's ideology, but also on all pressing issues of the day. In this interview to Garimella Subramaniam, he articulates the RSS' views on nationalism and religious divides. Excerpts:

Has the BJP diluted the RSS ideology or does it accurately project your core position?

Not in our view. We understand that the party has certain compulsions in running a coalition government. After seeing the BJP's vision document, we are broadly satisfied that the ideological commitment remains intact.

How do the RSS and the BJP reconcile their positions on Kashi and Mathura and Article 370?

There is a difference between ideology and agenda and issues. The vision document makes it amply clear that the BJP is committed to the RSS ideology and the Ayodhya movement. So its differences with the RSS on issues such as Kashi and Mathura do not really matter.

How do you define your ideology?

In simple terms, it means the nation is first. We see India as one nation and all the people as one people. We believe that we are a nation with a long history and a hoary culture. We expect all the people of this country to share this viewpoint. Just as we do not want society to be fragmented into caste, race and creed, we do not want society to be divided into majority and minority on the basis of religion.

Don't you think nationhood itself evolves and grows and takes on different streams, rather than conform to some uniform and rigid conception?

Our conception of our nation is based on our culture, not on the concept of statehood or the nation-state. The nation predates the concept of the nation-state. The idea of one culture encompasses diversity in caste, religion and language. This cultural oneness is what we define as dharma.

Is the whole notion of a minority irrelevant in this scheme of things?

We are not in agreement with the way the idea of minorities is interpreted in India. If you want to call anybody a minority in this country, it is the Parsis who can be called as such. Because they came from another country and are 100 per cent outsiders. Maybe the Jews are similarly a minority. But all the others come from the same stock and share the same history. People may have opted for different religions. If religion is to be the basis of defining a majority and minority, who is the majority in this country? After all, the Supreme Court has interpreted Hinduism as a way of life and not a religion.

Is the RSS able to wield influence in the BJP?

Certainly. Atal Bihari Vajpayee is a member of the RSS. He is running the country in the direction we all feel proud of.

Do you seek political parties (other than the BJP), which have ideological affinity with the RSS, such as the AIADMK?

Our swayamsevaks have full freedom to work for any political party. We only insist that such political parties are not those which subscribe to any extra-territorial loyalties, promote violence or divisiveness in society.

Why is the renovation of temples or the anti-conversion legislation so important when you set store by the oneness of culture?

We have never opposed conversion from one religion to another. Hindus have always followed different religions and have exercised freedom to alter their faith. Religion is after all a particular way of worship. Hindus have always followed different ways of worship. We merely oppose an institutionalised activity called conversion where one religion guarantees salvation to [the] followers of another. Ninety-nine per cent of the conversions in India take place through such fraudulent means, not through genuine change of heart.

Much of your ideology is based on anti-Muslim propaganda. Don't you think this contains elements of fascism where you identify a minority and then mobilise and consolidate the rest of society?

This is a total distortion of the RSS ideology. The RSS believes in the oneness of our culture and the country. Any opposition to this view could lead to disintegration as it in fact happened with the Partition. We also fight the evils of Hindu society such as untouchability. This accent against divisiveness should therefore not be seen as hatred towards any particular religion.

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