New Delhi: The philosophy of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh ideologue M.S. Golwalkar was the subject of a lively debate on Tuesday, with the release of a book arguing that the ``intolerant agenda" of Hindutva sprang from Eurocentric and orientalist notions of Hinduism and nationalism.

The book, Terrifying Vision: M.S. Golwalkar, the RSS and India, written by Jyotirmaya Sharma of Hyderabad University and published by Penguin, was released by Union Minister for Panchayati Raj Mani Shankar Aiyar.

Mr. Aiyar said the author had been objective in his evaluation of the RSS leader, whose birth centenary was being celebrated by the sangh parivar this year. ``But despite Golwalkar being allowed to speak for himself, the picture that emerges is a frightening one."

The Minister said one of his objections to the RSS was that it always sought to equate "Indian' with "Hindu" — thereby excluding other Indians, especially Muslims, from the purview of citizenship. The book provided ample evidence of how this belief lay at the foundation of the sangh's philosophy.

Sudheendra Kulkarni, who worked in the PMO as a speechwriter for Atal Bihari Vajpayee, conceded that Prof. Sharma was fair in excluding from the purview of his analysis the controversial Golwalkar book, We, Or our Nationhood Defined, which the RSS had since withdrawn from circulation. But he accused the author of selective quotation from other published work in order to paint a one-sided picture of the former RSS sarsanghchalak.

Mr. Kulkarni joined issue with Prof. Sharma's argument that Golwalkar sought to exclude Muslims and Christians from the Indian nation and also denied the influence of European thinkers on the RSS philosophy.

Responding to a claim made by Mr. Kulkarni that Golwalkar's attitude towards Muslims and Christians did not differ from the attitude of Gandhi, Nehru or Ambedkar, Mr. Aiyar said Gandhi and Golwalkar were as far apart in their understanding of Hindusim as Dara Shikoh and Aurangzeb.

"Bigotry exposed"

Applauding Terrifying Vision for its attempt to synthesise the overall published oeuvre of Golwalkar, than cherry-picking selected quotations to make a point, Siddharth Varadarajan, Associate Editor of The Hindu, said Prof. Sharma had exposed the irrationality, ignorance and bigotry that lay at the foundation of the RSS' ideology and politics.

Dileep Padgaonkar, member of the National Commission for Minorities, regretted that such a book had not come out earlier.

Pointing out that the Sachar Committee report had exposed the hollowness of the BJP's claim about ``Muslim appeasement," he said that those parties which prided themselves on being secular were also guilty of not doing enough to foster a more inclusive society.

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