Author:
Publication: The Observer
of Business and Politics
Date: October 10, 2000
The Congress on Monday
said the recent Nagpur address of the RSS chief, K S Sudarshan, was a clear
and blatant infringement of the constitutional guarantee to every citizen
of the country to practice and preach the religion of his choice in the
manner and mode in which the citizen choses. The CWC member and chairman
of the party minority department, Arjun Singh, said ,here that the suggestion
of the RSS chief was "misconceived." "The RSS just cannot fathom communal
harmony to exist. Through a systematic and concerted propaganda,
it continuously tries to create a sense of alienation and apprehension
in the minds of the minorities," he pointed out. He said the Muslim
community was a part and parcel of society and they were second to none
in protecting the secular fabric of the country. He pointed out that
the contributions of the Muslims during the freedom movement was second
to none.
When asked to comment
on the RSS call to create swadeshi church in the country, Mr Singh said
that the suggestion was agains misconceived and unacceptable in any civilised
society.
He said it was not just
a coincidence that India has the second largest Muslim population in the
world. "It is most unfortunate that the RSS now tries to set conditions
for accepting their nationalistic credentials. This is a sinister
attempt to create suspicion and misgivings about our Muslim brothers and
sisters. Such an attempt has to be condemned strongly," he asserted.
Similarly speaking about
the role the Christians played in nation building, Mr Singh said the Christian
missionaries for decades have been working in the country in various spheres
particularly in the field of education, health, and social development.
"It is quite strange that the RSS, which claims to be the saviours of nationalism
and rule of law, tries to deliberately create a wedge between various sections
of society by fabricating historical facts. The Christians have made
immense contribution towards development of our country. No one can
question their patriotism," he maintained.
The senior Congress leader
said the BJP-RSS combine was indulging in double talk, voicing contradictory
and motivated sentiments to mislead the people for their narrow political
ends.
"Such indiscreet and
irresponsible statements will only help the forces which are already trying
to destroy the secular credentials of our country. The machinations
of the sangh parivar must be brought to an end if the nation is to avoid
serious crisies of identity, the secular and liberal ethos of the country
has to be protected at all costs," he said further.